Oh no, not another one!
by James the Fox
Summary: A selfinsertion fic that includes the interferance of fate and reality. A Hero has died before he should have, and now a new warrior must take his place... Longer summary in Profile.
1. Prelude

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

Sora: (Reading the script) "O... K... So you're wiping me out of existence."

"Yep."

Sora: "And replacing me with an altered version of you?"

"Yep."

Sora: "NO!"

Sora (GOW): "Just a fanfic. Nothing to get worked up about."

"Duh. Oh, and Kingdom Hearts does NOT belong to me. If it did, I would have made KH2 have more platforming and kept Riku's Dark Aura attack the way it was in KH: COM. Also, I wouldn't be here, writing fanfics."

Sora and Sora (GOW): "WHY CAN'T HE OWN KH?"

"The super-lawyers would kill me over it. Now, on to the Fic!"

* * *

Sora tried to get up, but it was useless. Sephiroth had already killed Cloud, and he was the only one with a bond to Sephiroth, and therefore was the only one who could kill him. As Sephiroth raised Masamune, his sword, Sora could only wonder what would happen to his friends after the One-Winged-Angel did away with him. As Sora's life ended, the fate of all worlds was sealed.

At least, mostly sealed. The Entity of Fate watched the battle and realized that it had made a mistake in choosing Sora for his task. Sure, he could fight Xehanort and His Nobody Xemnas, but he couldn't win against this. Sephiroth could only have been killed by Cloud, but he was dead too. Fate watched the Darkness grow and her Creation destroyed.

Then Fate's brother, The Entity of Reality, came to her with an idea. After seeing what was happening, he took Fate to a world on the far reaches of the multiverse. This was a special world. A hub of sorts for the stories that other worlds spoke of. This world listened to the history of all else and projected these events into the hearts of skilled people. Books, Movies, Music, and many other forms of entertainment then told the stories to many other people on that world. Even Sora's adventures had met this fate in the form of a game called Kingdom Hearts.

Oh, but that was not all. Although their bodies could not channel it, the hearts of the world's people were quite strong. However, with a new body, a person could easily channel that power and handle Sora's journey better than Sora himself ever did. Fate listened, but then found an obstacle. They couldn't just pluck a person out of the world, not without a reason for said child's disappearance, anyway. Reality would have smiled, had he had a physical mouth to smile with. He directed his sister's attention to a single child whose life was about to take a horrific turn…

* * *

Oh, hello there, folks. The name is James. What's my last name? None of your business! I'm about 16, and in my sophomore year at my California high school. I moved here from Washington (The State, not the Capital, you dopes!) about a year ago.

At least, that's what I would have said to you folks about 2 years ago (In my eyes). Now I'd say, "Hello, I'm James, Master of the Keyblade and twice your savior. I'm 16 years old, and I live on Destiny Islands and spend my time traveling the multiverse." Of course, you'd all just gawk at me like a deer in the headlights. I think I might need to tell you the whole story.

It all started that day. I was riding home on my bike. As usual. I had a bag on my back that would be able to kill you with its sheer weight if I threw it at you. As usual. There were idiots of students walking on the bike lane instead of on the sidewalk. You guessed it, "as usual." Now, in order to avoid this one student without crashing, I had to slow down and move ever so slightly closer to the side of the bike lane that bordered the road. Simple, yeah. I performed the maneuver and got back in the center of the bike lane.

A few minutes later, there were no worries. I was only a minute or two from home. Then I have this kinda… you know, weird feeling. Like something was about to happen. Oh, I'm good at predicting that bad stuff was going to happen. Too bad I couldn't change it.

I turned my head to see behind me just in time to see a blue truck coming up the road. He was swerving like he was trying to lose someone. Either that or he was a drunk. I was really sure he was being chased because a police car was right after him, guns firing at his tires. They got really bad aim, cause they hit a tiny bump in the road and my bike falls down, dragging me with it.

OUCH! Broken leg. Great… oh, but that's just not over. Truck Boy decides just at that moment to swerve on to the bike lane enough to make it so he couldn't avoid running me over. My last thought was simple.

'_I **HATE** California.'

* * *

_

Fate and Reality struck with perfect timing.

In all but one world, Time stopped, then rewound. It rewound 2 years in high speed.

One child's Soul and Heart were ripped from his body.

Reality went to work, creating a new body for a heart and soul to dwell in was easy. But fusing the body to a Heart and Soul was a bit harder.

And so, they started it.

_Birth by Sleep._

* * *

"A story where the main hero dies right at the beginning. Where have I seen that before?"

Riku: "That one anime. 'Yu Yu Hakasho' or something like that."

Sora: "Well, the hero of that story died and came back. In this, the hero dies, doesn't come back, and the backup hero dies too. STUPID!"

"…Yeah… Well, the story hasn't even really started yet. This is just the prologue."

Sora: "STUPID!" (Goes running off yelling "STUPID!" over and over again.)

"Just so you know, California isn't THAT bad. That's just how this altered version thinks. I just like being 2 states north better. Now, I'll see you all later!"

(Walks off… then comes back with amazingly cute puppy-dog eyes)

"Won't I?"


	2. Birth by Sleep

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"... Nothing to say."

Sora: "Except that I hate you for reading this Fic." (Suddenly gets zapped)

"I knew that shock collar would come in handy."

Sora: (Twitching)

"On to the Fic."

* * *

James' POV (Present Tense)

* * *

If I'm dead, death is weirder than just about anyone could imagine. Course, it's also a very simple feeling. I can feel water around me, but can't open my eyes. Eyes. Ha. Eyes. Like I even have a BODY anymore. That's definitely a weird notion. Eyes. Makes me want to laugh. But I can't say anything. 

Why? Because one, there's water all about me. My mouth would be filled with water if I tried. Of, course, I don't have a mouth, which brings me to my other reason for not laughing. No body. No mouth. Yeah…

Wait, I can see. I have a body, yay for me. Wait, these aren't my clothes. They're not angel robes or anything like that, either. A brown shirt with a dark green short-sleeved jacket over it, instead. Blue short jeans that reach my knees. Black boots and gloves too. The gloves reach to my wrists. Okay. And there's a chain necklace with a flat keyhole-shaped pendant around my neck.

Why am I dressed like I'm some new character for Kingdom Hearts? It's not that I'm complaining about it. I'd love to dress like some kind of game character. Maybe go to a convention somewhere. But I just want to know why I'm dressed like this. Just as I'm wondering why the water doesn't irritate my eyes, I'm on dry land. A beach, to be exact. And not on any old beach…

Destiny Islands.

I'd recognize this place anywhere. And if my super-game-knowledge-skills aren't failing me, that's Riku. Yep, Silver hair that doesn't quite reach his shoulders, check. Black tank top that's yellow on the front. Check. Blue pant… things that are connected to said shirt by weird bands. Check. 2 shoes that are black and white along with black gloves that don't reach past his palm. Double check. Either Riku or one of the best cosplay costumes I've ever seen. He turns around and it's obvious by his blue eyes. Riku. Except… He's from a game! What kind of bizarre world am I in?

He reaches out with his right hand, beckoning me with an opened hand. I know what comes next, yet I still run toward him, without any control over my actions. Oh, I see the HUGE tidal wave that is going to swallow me whole. I want to run in the exact opposite direction, but I can't.

Inches from being able to grab his hand the wave hits us. When I finally resurface, I see who I was expecting to see. The shorthaired redhead with a white tank top with black borders on them along with a pink skirt, and white slip-on shoes.

Kairi. Princess of Heart. Best friend of Sora. Wielder of a Keyblade. Love interest to Sora.

And she's calling in my direction. I'm about to turn around to see if Sora was behind me, until I realize that Sora wouldn't be showing up in this dream. Instead I run up to her, and she converses with me for a while, although I can't hear what she's saying. Then she points up towards the sky.

When I look, I'm greeted with the sight of a meteor shower falling in the distance. I also see what I could only assume was myself, falling along with them. I now am able to see dark brown hair and brown eyes. My hair is short and spiked at the front, long at the back. Like a Kingdoms Hearts version of my hair when I spike it. Reminds me way too much of Demyx, though. Gotta change it later. Ugh.

Really gotta change it.

Just as I finish taking in my new form, I start to fall backwards. Next thing I know I was falling from the sky. I hit the water and instantly I'm back in the dark ocean I was first in.

Going to hate water after all this is over.

Suddenly I was sinking feet first. The moment said feet hit the bottom, the ground turns into birds (likely doves) that flew away. Hmm… flying under water. Yeah. Weird. Weird as any dream I ever get. TOO weird.

I look around and see the place I was expecting to end up at: the Pedestal of Awakening. I hear the strange, soundless voice that Sora heard throughout his journey.

(James' POV, Past tense)

_So much to do, so little time._

_Take your time. We both know that the door is still shut._

"OK, What do you want?" I asked the voice.

_I cannot explain yet. Just know that this is no dream._

"Yeah, I figured as much from me being able to feel things like the water that was **all over** me a few seconds ago."

_You know what comes next, do you not?_

"Yeah, you ask me to take a form by taking some power and losing some power. Right?"

_Correct. This power will give you the strength you need to proceed._

Just then, small pedestals appeared, a weapon floating on each of them. I knew what they were.

The Dream Sword. Power of the Warrior. Invincible Courage. A sword of terrible destruction.

The Dream Staff. Power of the Mystic. Inner Strength. A staff of wonder and ruin.

The Dream Shield. Power of the Guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all.

But something was different. Mickey's symbol was nowhere to be seen on the weapons. Instead, A heart with a keyhole in the middle of it was the symbol to see. The staff's head was heart shaped with a keyhole-shaped hole in the middle.

Maybe this signified that my powers would be different than Sora's. Shrugging off the thought, I walked up to the sword. I knew that power could be used in many ways, including the ways that the shield was used. I took it in my hand and the voice asked if I desired this power.

"I wouldn't have picked it up if I didn't."

_Very well._ The sword disappeared into nothingness and I walked up to the staff. Once more, I picked the weapon up and the voice asked if I would give up the majority of this power. I accepted and the staff disappeared, never to return to my hands. I knew what was next, but you can never quite prepare for the ground to shatter to pieces beneath your feet. Luckily, I landed softly on my feet.

_You have gained the power to fight. Use it to protect yourself and others. We both know that there will be times when you have to fight._

'I am really getting tired of this voice,' I thought as a horde of Heartless appeared and my sword appeared in my hand. I took a fighting stance similar to the stance Roxas had used when he had two Keyblades out.

_Keep your heart strong._

I didn't need telling twice as I charged into the battle. I was surprised to find that the voice was right. I had gained the power to fight. I was able to attack with disciplined strikes and moves as if I'd been able to do them my entire life. I effortlessly cut through the shadows with horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and many other various attacks. When the last Heartless died, the pedestal was consumed by darkness and I was absorbed.

I woke up on Destiny Islands. Or at least an illusion of it. I saw Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie all on the beach.

'Weird, why aren't we on the platform?' Once again I shrugged the thoughts off and walked toward Tidus, who was practicing his skills with a wood stick. As I came close he stopped and turned to me.

"What are you most afraid of?" The blonde boy asked me. I had to wonder about it. I had conquered most of my fears a long time ago, so I simply took a quote and put it to good use.

"I'm afraid of fear, cause that's all I need to fear." Tidus shrugged as if I bored him.

"Fear? Fear isn't that scary."

I didn't reply as I walked up to Selphie, who was (as expected) playing jump rope.

"What's most important to you?" She asked me. I… really never thought about it. My friends? Family? Finally, I came to a decision.

"Everything. Everything is important to me the same amount. That is what makes me who I am."

"What makes everything so important?" I was gone before she could finish asking her question.

Wakka was practicing bouncing his blitzball on his head when I came up to him. Typical Wakka.

"Hey, James, What do you want outta life?"

At least he said hi. "I want to help the people I care for."

"Help, ya? What's so great about that?" Just then, the voice from before spoke up.

_Everything is important to you. All you fear is fear itself. You want to help those you care about._

_You journey begins inside yourself. Your heart will be the balance between Light and Dark._

_The day you open the Door is both far off and very soon._

In a flash of light I found myself on a platform with light shining down from one direction.

The closer you get to light, the greater your darkness becomes. The closer you get to darkness, the greater your light becomes. You must keep the balance strong.

I turned around, wondering when Darkside would appear. Instead, however, a hand reached up from the pedestal I was on, grabbing my leg and tying to drag me into darkness.

_But don't be afraid._

At the same time, a hand from the light appeared and grabbed my hand, trying to pull me into the light.

_You have the mightiest weapon of all._

As I blacked out from the pain, I heard the voice give me on last bit of advice.

_The pure ones will explain more to you.

* * *

_

"Whew! Awesome! Hopefully I didn't do anything that's already been done. I wanted this part to be unique."

Riku: "Me and Kairi will be in the next chapter, along with an appearance by a new villain."

"Later!"


	3. Destiny Islands

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"Nothing to say..."

Riku: "Nothing?"

"Nothing."

* * *

(Unknown POV)

* * *

Light. Darkness. Nothingness. Does any of it matter anymore?

Not to me.

Here I float. Where is here?

The place where that which is unwanted goes.

True nothingness.

But I must escape. I must be free.

Free to reclaim what is mine.

* * *

(James POV)

* * *

The Sun. Whoa. Very bright. Was I dreaming? Must have been a realistic one. I wonder when someone, a doctor, policeman, or someone else would show up and ask if I was okay...

Not happening.

I have enough strength to get up, but don't want to. If I see what I think I'm going to see, everything will be different from there on. But I had to get up sometime. As I rise, I see the ocean and the beach all around me. Great. Just perfect. I turn around to see final proof of everything.

Kairi was walking up to me. I think I woke up a little early. She should have woke me up. Ah well.

"Knew I'd find you here. Have a nice snooze?" Kairi asks me with a knowing smile.

I blush a little, even though it wasn't my fault I had been asleep. "You can't prove that I was sleeping."

"There's sand on your back."

"Oh. So, um… how's the raft coming along?" I ask as I brush the evidence off.

"We still need supplies that you haven't gotten yet, you lazy bum." Kairi grins as she's saying this. This is getting way too weird. I don't even know where the heck Sora is and she's using that nickname she gave Sora to talk about. Too weird for me. Am I Sora or something? Riku walking towards us with a bundle of logs interrupts my thoughts.

"You know, Kairi, you're just as lazy as James over there." As old silver-hair walks past me he proceeds to unload his cargo on me. I barely catch the logs and still lose my balance. From under the pile I think to myself. 'Must… resist… urge to gain… petty revenge on the Sephiroth-wannabe.' I get up and collect the logs. Just as I get the last one up Kairi asks us if we want to race.

"What, now?" I ask incredulously.

Riku grins in response. It was a grin of challenge. "You scared that I'll beat you?"

Heck no! He did not just call me scared. "That tears it. Let's go!"

* * *

(PAST TENSE)

* * *

After the race, I proceeded to collect logs for the raft. We already had a sail and some rope. After collecting enough for the raft to carry us, I strolled onto the main part of the beach. I saw Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie sitting on the beach.

"Hey, guys, wanna have a match? Gotta keep our skills sharp. You three against me!" Almost instantly, Tidus jumped from his spot and turned my way, red rod in hand. Wakka got up with his blitzball in hand, ready to fight. Selphie muttered what sounded like "Boys…" but got up anyway, her jump rope ready for use as a whip/nunchuck/whatever she wanted it to be. I noticed Riku and Kairi walk up and watch the battle from on top of the small wooden hut nearby.

"Who do you have your bets on?" Riku asked.

"Well, Tidus' group has numbers on their side, but James does have skill. Plus he's been working hard on his form for the past few months." I had a split second to consider what she said. Months. She has memories of me before today. That could be a problem. I have no idea what everyone thinks of me in this world, no clue how I acted before today, no knowledge on my background and upbringing. All I have are my memories of before that truck hit me…

"Let's get him!" WHOA! SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU GOT A BATTLE GOING ON! ALERT! ALERT! I lunged into the fray, wooden sword in hand. I swung at Tidus in a horizontal swipe, followed by a diagonal attack to keep him from jumping over me to dodge. As I thought, Tidus had tried just that and ended up in the water. I tuned around just in time to be hit in the stomach REALLY hard by Wakka's blitzball. I noted that the ball was slightly glowing as it bounced back into Wakka's hands. How does he do that, anyway? I checked to make sure that Tidus wouldn't get attack again, them went after Selphie. She dodged by jumping backwards, then gave me a smirk as she pounced my way ready to whack me into submission. I instinctively swung the weapon in my hands right at the end of her jump rope that was about to hit me. She gave her trademark "Aww… OW!!!!" as the handle bounced and hit her on the head.

I couldn't help but laugh. That was just like in the game. Priceless. I swung again and she was right next to Tidus in the water. I turned around, Holding my sword in a "batter's up" type of position and swung just as Wakka sent his blitzball my way. I'm no good at baseball, but whacking that blitzball right back at Wakka sure made me feel like I was. Course, when the blitzball master caught it and sent it back my way, I had to dodge again. However, that actually helped me since sand doesn't help blitzballs bounce. Now Wakka was defenseless. The guy ran towards his weapon, trying to avoid my attacks all the while. He picked his weapon up again and threw at full power. This time, when I hit it, it hit Wakka's chest and sent him towards to water. The force of the retaliation attack sent him flying right into Tidus, who was just getting up out of the water.

"OW!"

After everyone dried up and got some Potions that healed our scratches (Yes, they _do_ heal instantly! Amazing!) Tidus and company left, Tidus saying that he wasn't at the top of his game. Kairi, Riku, and I went over it the small islet with a Paopu fruit tree on it. After a bit of silence, I spoke up.

"Hey, Kairi. Do you remember your home town?"

"No, not at all. But I would like to see it."

"If that's the case, there should be worlds other than yours, right?"

Riku shrugged. "Could be. We'll never know by staying where we are."

"But, is there any way a raft could get us there? What if we can't make it far enough with just a raft?"

"Then we'll think of something else."

"What if we do make it to another world?" Kairi asked. With a laugh, she added, "What would you do there?"

Riku was silent for short bit. "… I haven't thought about it." I mentally sighed. He didn't even know what he'd do if he left this world… "I just wonder… Why are we on this world? If there are so many other worlds out there, why'd we get stuck on this one? If there ARE other worlds out there, our world is just a small part of something much bigger…"

I spoke up. "But even the small parts of anything have a big role to play. " Thank goodness my mind didn't get younger along with my now 14(Almost 15)-year old body.

"Then what's our role?"

"Who knows?"

"There's my point. We could have ended up somewhere else just as easily."

"Maybe."

"Exactly. That's what we need to find out. Sitting here won't change a thing."

"You've been thinking about this a lot lately, haven't you?" Riku turned to Kairi.

"Thanks to you. If you hadn't shown up, I'd never have thought of any of this. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome." With that, we went off to work on the raft.

* * *

As I walked across the beach toward the boats that I'd take to the main island, Riku called my name. I turned around catch a small yellow star-shaped fruit with a single leaf coming out of the top.

"A Paopu fruit. There's a legend about how if you share it with someone you cared about, your destiny will be tied. They'll be a part of each other's lives forever." He paused for a moment. "You know you want to try it."

"B-but-" Riku just laughed as I blushed. Me and Kairi? Maybe, but only if she sincerely asked me first. I could never… Let's just say I've had problems with girls in the past. I pocketed the fruit, just in case. With that, I ran after Riku.

* * *

OK, this is just TOO weird. Somehow, I remembered exactly how to get to the house where I lived, even though I've never been there in real life. It felt strange, knowing that I've never been there before yet also knowing that it was home… I walked in to the house and found a note:

_James,_

_Gone out to the market. Dinner on table. Brother and sister asleep. Bed by 9:00._

_Mom._

I looked at the clock and calendar that were hanging on the wall. It was Friday, May 5, (The exact date of the truck incident) and… 8:45!?

"Snap!" I ran to the table, scarfed the chicken down in a few seconds, and ran into bed. What seemed weird to me was that this world didn't keep track of what year it was. Ah, well, different world, different rules. With that, I closed my eyes at yet another unfamiliar ceiling…

* * *

Goofy was having the nicest dream… he was walking down a small street back in the good ol' days. He was going to visit his good friend Mickey Mouse and then… ZAP! Not in a dream anymore. Donald Duck was standing over him with a finger raised. The finger seemed to be sparking with electricity.

"Oh, good morning Donald!"

"We got a problem Goofy! But don't tell anyone!"

"Queen Minnie?"

"Not even the Queen!"

"Daisy?"

"NOOOO! It's TOP SECRET!"

"Good Morning, ladies!"

Donald turned around. Yep, there they were. He was officially in hot water. He chuckled nervously, trying to think of a way to explain what was in the letter he had just found.

"Queen Minnie, You might want to look at this…"

* * *

"About 4 pages… Not bad."

Riku: "What was with that thing right at the beginning."

"A new villain. And if you're lucky and smart, you'll likely figure out who he is way before I unveil his true identity. But please, out of courtesy, don't reveal it!"

Sora: "REVEAL IT!!! DEFY HIM!!! PLEA-" (Is gagged by Naruto.)

Naruto: "Do that again and I won't regret killing you. Believe it!"

"Next chapter, 2nd day on Destiny Islands, Xehanort's Heartless shows up, blah blah blah… A few tiny twists though."


	4. End of Two Worlds

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"Yeah, here's two chapters because my computer SUCKS!! No internet SUCKS!! It all SUCKS!!"

Riku: "This means you're quitting?"

"NO!!"

Riku: "Great..."

* * *

(1st PERSON)

* * *

It's Saturday! Oh, how I love Saturday. LOVE! I woke up, somehow expecting to be in my room. I was.

The one that was on Destiny Islands.

I went downstairs, partially eager to finally see what Sora's mom looks like, partially eager to find some food. I hoped they didn't think I liked cheese... But there was nobody downstairs. I searched until I found a letter explaining that my mother had taken my brother and sister to a bookstore and that she wouldn't be back till dinner. Ah well. Just the last time they're going to see me for a couple years, if not the rest of their existence. After eating "Mog Tarts" ("They're Mog-licious!" and leave me with horrible thoughts about what might be in them…) I ran down to my boat and rowed over to the small dock on the kid's island playground.

Kairi was walking down the beach, apparently looking for something or someone. I ran up to her, yelling "WAZZUP!" That caused her to jump in shock. I used to do that all the time to…

* * *

FLASHBACK (3rd PERSON)

* * *

_A 15-year-old redhead girl was on the computer and typing out her newest chapter. It had been a few months after James, her brother, had shown her Harry Potter: Nightmares of Future's Past. Ever since, she'd been on the computer, seeking out new stories to sate her Harry-Potter-fan-crazed mind's appetite while waiting the long wait for the 7th book. At the same time, she had made a story of her own and was working on it like mad. It was about 8 p.m. Suddenly, something jumped out of the hall behind her and her left, yelling "BOO!" at the top of his lungs. For a half moment, her heart felt like it was going to burst. Then she realized who it was and growled in outrage._

_"James!" Her glasses-wearing older brother was laughing like crazy, even when she started chasing him around the house in fury. This was the 5th time he'd done it tonight, so he wasn't surprised that she'd snapped. She'd have done it sooner or later…but it was worth it._

_"Good grief, Holland, do you ever tire of chasing me?" Just then, Holland caught up and kicked James in the shin really hard. A moment of silence occurred. "… Ow." A short time later, the two had forgotten the squabble and were talking to each other. If one looked at them, they'd notice a strange thing about them. If James looked like Harry Potter without the green eyes, Holly kinda resembled Ginny Weasley. A few minutes later, their little brother, Mark, ran into the room, jumping like the sugar-rush-prone 13 year-old he was. One would notice that he resembled Ronald Weasley. He happily joined in on the conversation. They had their differences, but in the end, they were family. Squabble, make up, be friendly, and squabble again… The cycle continued. But it would soon reach a tearful end. The next day, the eldest of the siblings would leave, never to return.

* * *

_

END FLASHBACK

* * *

James was grinning as Kairi jumped and turned to face him, but for a moment, just a moment, Kairi thought she saw something she used to rarely see on the boy's face, but recently saw a lot of the time. She could see, even in the split-second before James hid it away, the look that was a mixture of sadness and thoughtfulness. A split-second later, James looked like he always did. Kairi stowed the questions away for later and walked up to him.

"Hey, James, have you seen Riku? He should be at the tiny island, waiting for his part of today's work, but he's nowhere to be found. Not the small island, not the beach or in either of the shelters…" She ticked off her fingers.

"Have you checked with the Raft?" James asked with an all-knowing smirk. Kairi was red with embarrassment. Of course! Unless he wasn't here yet, That was the only place he could be! She turned around toward the "Raft-Building Area" (As they dubbed it) to see James already a few yards away, running in the same direction.

* * *

_To Donald, Disney Castle's High Court Wizard,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye in person. You see, stars have been blinking out a lot recently, and that means trouble. I can't say much more in this letter, but I've got a mission for you. You see, Yen Sid, my teacher, has told me of a Key that can fix all of this. He won't elaborate, but he says that the boy who holds it will be expecting you. He says to go to Traverse town and find a man I know named Leon. He may be able to help you find the Key. Please hurry._

_Your King, MM_

_P.S.: Please tell Minnie I'm sorry._

_P.P.S.: Take care of Pluto, will ya?_

"What does all this mean?" Daisy, Queen Minnie's Lady-in-Waiting, asked.

"It means we'll just have to trust the King." The Queen replied.

"And what of the boy? How would he even know of us? Much less know we were searching for him?"

"Ha-yuck, Maybe Yen Sid told him." The Captain of the Royal Guard said.

"Goofy, it must be more than that if Yen Sid didn't tell His Majesty about it." Squawked Donald.

"Maybe we can ask about it to the kid when we find him." Daisy said.

"Maybe… Oh! I almost forgot! To chronicle your journey, HE will accompany you." Queen Minnie pointed to a small bug in a suit and top hat.

"Hello there! Jiminy Cricket's the name."

A little later, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy were on their way down the stairs to the Gummi Ship Dock.

"Gosh, your world was destroyed too?" Goofy asked

"Yes, it was horrible! We were scattered. I'm the only one who made it to this castle."

"You know, Goofy, we shouldn't let on that we're from other worlds."

"Yeah, gotta protect the World Border."

"Order! That's World Order, not Border!"

"Then I guess we'll need new duds when we get there, huh?" Goofy asked as they walked into the Gummi Dock. Gears of several types were spinning everywhere. Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Pluto got in the ship.

"Donald Duck to Launch Crew! Anytime you're ready!" The launch crew, two chipmunks named Chip and Dale, gave a thumbs up signal and a holographic countdown started in front of the ship. The ship started its engines.

"Blast off!" Donald squawked as the countdown reached zero. At that moment, a red arrow pointing down appeared in front of the ship. A hole opened below the ship and it fell. As it did Donald could swear that he heard two high pitched voices laughing over the intercom.

The ship found itself in the space between worlds, Interspace. The ship launched and headed to Traverse Town.

* * *

(1st PERSON)

* * *

I opened the door in the wooden wall that separated one half of the seeable island from the other and found what Kairi had been looking for. Riku was staring out into the ocean. I walked up to him.

"Kairi was expecting you at the tiny island."

"Oh, really? Sorry."

"Hey, have we come up with a name for the raft?"

"No."

"Well, how about we do that now?"

"Fine. I like the name Highwind. What about you?"

"… I think Fenrir is a good name."

"… Fenrir… How about a race?"

"Sure, but if I win we use the name Fenrir, and if you win…"

"I get to share a Paopu with Kairi."

"WHAT!"

"You heard me. Winner gets to share a Paopu with Kairi."

"B-but…"

"Are you two arguing again?" Kairi walked up between us. "Fine, we'll do this the usual way. Both of you run over to the star-shaped sign down the beach and back, using whatever route and tricks you want. Okay? Winner wins whatever silly argument you're having."

"But-" I stuttered.

"Ready, set, GO!" Instantly, I ran. I knew the Paopu thing was just a joke, but something made me want to outdo Riku in this contest anyway. I used a technique that Mark showed me that he learned in hockey.

In hockey terms, I guess I just checked Riku.

The someday-to-be-Twilight Keybearer was knocked off his feet and he hit the sand. I dashed up the stairs that were the easiest way over the person-high thick wall of rock that jutted out of the mountain in the center of the island. I saw the raft we had worked on yesterday. To my left of the boat, there was a forest of palm trees. Beyond it were some platforms jutting out of the giant rock wall that were sturdy enough for a person to get on, with the sign on the one farthest out of my reach. I jumped from platform to platform, getting at last to the sign.

I turned around to notice Riku jumping across the tops of the trees toward the sign. He had sand all over the side he landed on. His hair was full of the stuff and he looked ticked. I jumped down and landed on the sand and ran like death itself was after my soul. Riku was only a few steps behind me with a bunch of coconuts in his arms. He started chucking them at me the way Wakka would throw his white and blue blitzball. I dodged, trying to stay ahead while keeping a tree or something between Riku and me. I jumped on the small boulder nearby, then launched from it over the rock wall. I found myself running the rest of the way, just seconds from winning. Riku was still after me with a coconut in hand. He tossed it and it hit me in the back of the head, knocking me the few inches forward I needed to win. I landed at Kairi's feet and managed to get up and raise a V-for-VICTORY sign. Riku caught up and grinned.

"Good move James. You win."

"Yes! I WON, I RULE, AHAHAHA!! TAKE THAT, RIKU!! WOOHOO!!"

Kairi interrupted with the "I'm-about-to-say-something-important" cough. "Okay, on to business. We will need supplies If we intent on getting anywhere. James, Riku, here is the list of things we can get on the island that we need and where to get them." She handed me a list.

"Seagull eggs: The tree near the dock. Mushrooms: The Secret Place. Gather a lot of both and return to me." I read out loud. OK. I left Riku to get fish and to fill a few bottles of water. A few minutes later, I was fighting off a seagull that didn't approve of me stealing her eggs. Eventually, I scared her off with the wooden sword I was swiping at her with. Then I returned to Kairi to deposit those stupid eggs, then went to the cave everyone dubbed "The Secret Place." I'm _oh_ so scared. Not. Brushed aside the shrubs and found myself in the dark, damp cave with a hole in the top. I looked at all the pictures scribbled on the walls, then at the wooden knob-less door that was on the other side of the cave. It could be hard to believe that this world's Keyhole was so close, yet I couldn't do anything about it.

I finally found the mushrooms I was looking for and I collected them. I then looked up at what I least expected to see here. A drawing. On the left side of the picture was a well-done profile of me in my current form. The left side also had a well-done profile, this one of Kairi. Instantly, I saw a young Kairi drawing it. She was wearing a one piece white dress that was pink at all the edges and pink sandals. Next to her was who I could only assume was a young version of me. Just like me as I was now, he had short hair that was spiked up at the front. He wore a green jumpsuit that was actually similar to what Sora wore in his first adventure. I thought it looked kinda cute on me. As the illusions disappeared, I picked up a small rock and began drawing. Thank goodness I still have my skill at drawing. I'd go insane without it. When it was finished, I smiled at what I did. Just then I felt a cold presence behind me. I turned around to see a man clothed in a brown hooded robe that hid his face with two belts wrapped around his chest. 'Ansem,' Xehanort's Heartless. 'The Seeker of Darkness.'

"So you're the chosen one."

"W-what!" Did he know? Did he know I wasn't really from this world? But how?

"You know very well what. The wielder of the Key. I have come to see the Keyhole."

"You aren't seeing squat!"

"Really? There's nothing you can do. Just like your predecessor. Darkness will eventually win, and I will be there to see it happen."

"What makes you think that, Xehanort?"

"Oh, so you know of that name, eh? But still you understand nothing. There is so very much to learn, and one who knows nothing can understand nothing."

"I'm sorry, but I know far more than you do, 'Ansem!' Even if you beat me, you will eventually be destroyed. It is inevitable." Xehanort considered this for a little bit.

"Let me see…" Xehanort lunged at the Keyhole, smashing his nonexistent hand against it. "... If your hypothesis is correct!" I knew it had begun when I heard screaming. I hoped that it wasn't too late to get the Keyblade and stop this.

It was. The Heartless were everywhere. Kairi wasn't anywhere to be found. However, Riku was still at the small island. I ran to him, dodging Heartless after Heartless. As I got to Riku, I knew it was too late for him, too.

"James. The door has opened. This is our only chance to get off this world."

"But-"

Xehanort's voice laughed in my head. "A meaningless effort."

Riku reached out with a hand.

"Come on, James. I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

Darkness swarmed around him. I reached out for his hand, making one last desperate attempt to save him. It was futile. I was surrounded with darkness.

* * *

The true Keyblade…

The weapon of Light, Twilight, and Darkness. Able to change at will. Capable of sealing the Keyholes from the darkness. An amazing weapon that he now wields.

He must die.

* * *

I woke up. It wouldn't be long now. I looked at my Keyblade. Like the Dream Weapons, the Keyblade had no sign of Disney influence on it. The Keychain at the bottom of the weapon was a heart shaped pendant with a keyhole shaped hole in its center, hanging by a chain. I hefted it and ran towards the Secret Place, cutting through Heartless easily.

When I got inside I saw Kairi. She was okay. Good. She turned around and gasped in surprise.

"James! Are you okay? Where's Riku?"

"One: Yes, me. What did you expect, the boogieman? Two: I took some slight blows from those monsters out there. And three: Riku just disappeared on me. No clue how to follow him."

"Well, at least you're o- James look out!" I turned around to block an attack by Xehanort. Weird. He shouldn't be able to do that. He doesn't even have a real body. He struck again, knocking me back. He then struck at Kairi who, being without a weapon, was hit full on. Instantly the door behind me opened and I was blown forward. I hit Kairi's body and felt her heart jump into my heart. How original. Except Sora's already done it.

I landed on the ground outside and got up. I looked up to see Darkside. Just like in the game, He looked like a giant human with dreads and cloth covering his mouth. He even had clawed hands, a heart shaped hole in his chest.

"So the boss-who-just-won't-stay-dead returns. Fine. I'm ticked right now. So have at me!" I jumped at the creature, glad to at least be able to vent my rage. He swung his fist down and I jumped on it, using it to run up to his shoulder. I then let myself beat at the creature with the Keyblade over and over again. Eventually he knocked me off. I had plenty of black fluid on me. I didn't know Heartless could bleed. Weird. I looked up to see a red… hole… thing. As if on cue, it sucked up the remnants of the world. Darkside went in first, and I quickly followed. I cursed myself for being unable to stop Xehanort as I was sent spiraling into darkness…

* * *

(3rd PERSON)

Holly and Mark stood with their family. It had been a hard 29 hours since their brother had died. All of James' good friends and family had come for this funeral. They had the body moved to Washington State for the burial. It was easy since the man who James had become a roadbump for had a powerful bomb on him. He had confessed to trying to blow a small chunk of the U.S. population up and had been very close to his destination. This made him a hero of sorts, and it was easy to convince everyone to bring him to the place where he felt most at home. As the night ceremony continued, the strangest thing happened. A star started glowing brightly. Very brightly. And then it faded into nothingness. And so the burial came to a close. They put a simple gravestone at the head of the grave.

No one noticed the faint heart-shaped indentation that appeared on the grave, or the Keyhole that appeared in the center of that indent, or the small pair of glowing eyes looking at it hungrily from the distance…

* * *

Donald and Goofy Looked on in wonder aboard their Gummi Ship as they saw two stars glow brightly and then flicker out without a trace in succesion. "Gwarsh, we better hurry!"

Riku: "You just caused Destiny Islands to be destroyed faster than before. And you suck at doing sad scenes."

* * *

"I thought it was pretty sad."

Riku: "That's because you're the one who died. And the one who's about to lose his true homeworld."

"Shut up. I just had to put that part about Nightmares of Future's Past. Just consider it a thank-you for getting my sister hooked on fanfiction. You are a miracle-worker. Lucky punk."


	5. Arrival in Two Towns

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"One update on my profile which contains the data for the Unknown Being who serves as one of the main villains in this story. Also, new things just for this Fanfic. At the end of certain Chapters, there will be a Jiminy's Journal entry for any new characters, Limits, etc. that appear."

Riku: "Yeah..."

* * *

(3rd PERSON)

* * *

James woke up in an alleyway. He was completely expecting to see Pluto in his face, but once again, he woke up too early to be woken up by anyone.

"Now," He said as he brushed himself off. "I gotta find Squall." He walked into a clearing filled with various people all over the place. 'This place is much more crowded in real life than it is in the game,' the Keybearer thought as he tried to find Squall before any Heartless showed up. Of course, nothing seemed to be going his way up to now. The misfortune continued when a swarm of Shadow Heartless appeared out of the ground and started attacking, proving an equation James had set up beforehand: Heartless plus Crowd equals pandemonium. People scrambled for safety and while several found it, most were lost, their hearts becoming more Heartless. James jumped at the monsters, slashing like mad. He smashed one into the ground with a hard down stroke, then pushed two into each other, finishing two with one shot. James took only a moment to look at the freed hearts rising towards the sky and disappearing, then was clawed in the back by a Soldier Heartless. He turned around and smacked that one into oblivion and ran for the only place he could find safety at. He entered the Accessory Shop in the center of the area.

* * *

Cid Highwind turned towards the door when he heard it open the slam shut.

"Hey, what can I do for… oh, just a kid," the owner of the Accessory Shop said as he realized that his potential customer was just a kid. He then noticed some thing, or rather some things, about the kid. One, he was covered in Heartless blood, both dried and fresh. Two, he had a small gash in his back that was definitely fresh. Finally, he held what looked like… no, couldn't be… a key-shaped weapon. The Keyblade. He stepped out from behind the counter. "So, what do you want, kid? Lost your mother?" The man knew for sure that that was possible. After all, he looked like he had just gotten off his world. His parents might not have made it…

"I'm no kid. My name is James, and I need a new set of clothes, a shower, and some medicine for the gash in my back and the other minor injuries I have." This James kid sure had a cool head. He had a small smile on his face, and his voice was calm, even though he should have been in considerable pain. If that thing in his hand was indeed the Keyblade, then maybe the worlds were in better hands than he thought.

"Alright, ki-James, You see the trap door in the corner over there to your left?" The boy turned over to it, then nodded in the affirmative. "You'll find a bathroom down there and to your left. You'll find a medicine cabinet and a shower there. Uh, as for your clothes… I don't have anything your size, so you'll have to deal with what you got until later."

"Great…" As James opened the trapdoor and climbed down to Cid's bedroom, Cid picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Hey, Leon, I got somethin' to tell you. Yea, you better listen, wise-ass, it's about the Keyblade…"

* * *

James sighed as he heard a great deal of swearing upstairs. Yep, just like the Keyblade and the Dream weapons, Cid had no sign of being censored by Disney… His clothes were just like they were in Final Fantasy 7, and he even smoked and swore like he did in the game… Well, at least he was in a nice, warm, cozy shower and not up there, being on the receiving end of Cid's verbal abuse…

* * *

Holly woke up in a forest. She got to her feet and looked about. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her dog, Chewbacca "Chewie" Cocopuff, next to her, fast asleep and unharmed. What happened? One moment her family was driving home, the next, utter chaos was everywhere. Then she lost consciousness. The moment she moved a bit, Chewie was up and following her. They looked a bit until they saw someone they recognized. Mark was leaning against a tree, talking to one of their family friends, Caleb, and one of James' friends, Wilson.

"… That's the only explanation I can think of, and it's the only good one that explains where we are now and why we saw Heartless everywhere." Chewie barked and Caleb turned to Holly.

"See you finally woke up. You can't believe what's happened. We're in a place from Kingdom Hearts."

"Where's our parents?" Holly asked. The boys exchanged looks.

"Don't know. All we know is that we're in Twilight Town," Mark said.

"So, what do we do?"

"Hey, James was the master of this game, not me."

"I assure you, this isn't a game." All four turned around to see Yen Sid. The blue robed wizard with a blue wizard's hat with stars and moons on it smiled. "It's a good thing that I managed to bring you here. The Keybearer may need you."

"Okay, old man, spill it. What just happened? Don't make me go Berserker on you!" Wilson said, getting into a fighting stance.

"It isn't my place to tell you all what's happened. However, I can tell you this. You were saved from the destruction of your world for a reason." With a blink of his eye, Yen Sid warped the group to his quarters at the top of his tower. "You have been brought to help the Keybearer."

"Well, where is he, then? Where's Sora?"

"The Keybearer is at the beginning of his journey. It will be some time before you meet him. Your first priority is to seek out a man named Vincent Valentine in the Realm of Darkness. He will train you until the time comes for you to help the Keybearer."

"Wait… We get to be trained by Vincent? As in kick-everyone's-butt-without-even-a-scratch Vincent? Yes!" Mark knew that they'd be able to do anything if a powerful being like Vincent was teaching them. However, Wilson wasn't impressed.

"We are already strong enough without this Valentine guy's help. Just give us our mission and we'll complete it." Yen Sid shook his head.

"You are strong, yes, but your heart's true power has yet to be unlocked. Vincent will help you with that. Now, there is a vessel outside that will take you to the Realm of Darkness. Once there, seek out Vincent Valentine. However, be sure to keep a low profile." As Holly left and closed the door behind her and her friends, one of the three fairies, Flora, came into the room.

"Don't you think you should have told them about James?"

"It isn't my place… Vincent must tell them."

"Ohh…"

A little later, the team was outside, staring at the Gummi Ship that looked like it could fight an army. Wilson whistled.

"Shotgun!"

* * *

(1st PERSON)

* * *

After drinking a potion to restore my strength, I climbed the ladder up to Cid's shop.

"I have to go. There are people I'm looking for."

"Alright… Just remember to come here if you need anything." He tossed me a red jacket that was quite a few sizes too big for me to cover up the hole in my shirt. A bit big, but hey, You gotta go with what you gotta go with.

I turned left after leaving the Shop and saw one of the people I was looking for. Squall was wearing a white T-shirt with a black short-sleeved jacket, pants, boots, and gloves. A lion necklace was around his neck. He was carrying a mix of a sword and a gun over his shoulder.

"You know… the Heartless will just keep coming at you. They'll come out of nowhere, and they won't stop as long as you have the Keyblade. Now, let me have that Key."

"Yeah, I kinda figured this was special, but it's my only way of protecting myself right now, so I don't feel like parting with it."

"All right, I warned you…" Squall shifted into a fighting stance, holding the Gunblade in front of him. I shifted so that I could easily jump into the clearing below, which would give me more room to fight. All at once, the battle started and I was dodging and countering like crazy. The guy just wouldn't stop shooting fireballs at me. Eventually, I got enough time to get into a batting stance and sent the fireballs right back at the one shooting them. As soon as I sent a large fireball right back at Squall, I lunged right behind it. Squall got rid of the fireball just in time to be pounded into pulp by the Keyblade. I knocked him to the ground and walked up to him, Keyblade pointed at his chest.

"Now, I really don't want to-" Just then I felt a sharp pain like someone had just hit me really hard in the back of the head. I turned around to see Yuffie, the Ninja Girl Supreme, grinning at me. "Not fair…" In seconds, I was out like a light. I could have sworn I heard Yuffie chiding Squall.

"I'm surprised. You almost got beat by a kid. Lucky you had me around…"

* * *

(3rd PERSON)

* * *

Squall stared at the boy who had somehow been so close to beating him when he was a full power.

"Cid was right. This kid was amazing. It was almost like he knew all my moves in advance and had a counterattack for all of them…"


	6. Guard Armor and Dusk City

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"I reserved a Wii!"

Link, Zelda, and Ayrll: "WHEEEEE!"

"... Right... Well, on to the new chapter."

Link, Zelda, and Ayrll: "WHEEEEE!"

"..."

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Caleb, Wilson. World: In between Worlds)**

Holly was having a bad week. First her brother gets himself run over, then those Heartless attacked their world and she, her dog, her little brother, and two of their friends find themselves on a journey that could only be described as a video game maniac's happiest dream. They were currently on a ship traveling through a huge void. She turned to look at her companions. Chewbacca was sleeping next to her chair, surprisingly calm for the situation. That was kinda weird since she rarely saw Chewbacca calm when in a new place. She wondered whether Chewbacca knew more about the situation than they might have thought. Mark, her little brother, sat next to her, obviously thinking as he read a manual called "Gummi Ships for Imbeciles." That was definitely surprising. Caleb, a family friend, was in the front seat, driving. Mark and him had played rock-paper-scissors to determine the driver, since they were the best with the strangely PS2-like main controls for the ship. Sitting next to Caleb was Wilson, a friend of James and therefore a friend of Caleb. He was looking at the weapon that was in his lap. The ball-and-chain was one of several weapons that they had found aboard the ship. Guessing that they were for them, Holly and the others had taken one of each. Caleb had chosen to use a saber and a gun to be relatively well balanced, stating that long range and short range together was not a bad deal. Mark, being a hockey master, took the weapon that looked most similar to the sports equipment, a scythe. Holly took metal claws that looked good for striking in a wild, beast-like way. Holly was snapped out of her thoughts by a great shaking.

"What the heck was that? Caleb, did you drive us into something?" Holly asked.

"No! I think we just got shot at." Caleb said, obviously annoyed that she'd assume that he wasn't good at flying. After all, it'd been hours since they last hit something, and he'd been getting used to the controls. His hypothesis was confirmed when a ship flew by, did a U-turn, and started firing at the ship. Caleb turned and got the ship out of the way. Mark turned to the controller that was to his right, which they'd assumed controlled the right-side guns on the ship. Holly got her hands on the controller to her left. Wilson took the front guns and immediately shot at the ship that was coming toward them. The moment her hands touched the controls, a screen above them turned on, revealing a crosshairs and a counter labeled "'Thunder' Lock on Cannon Ammo: 500 Enarge." Guessing that Enarge was the name for the energy the cannon used and cursing herself for not reading "GSI" (as Mark called it), she aimed at a ship that passed her. She aimed at the distinct Heartless symbol, calling up her resolve as she did so.

'It's just a Heartless… It's not like it's human… Just a mindless monster…" Finally she fired. The ship she hit exploded. She hoped that she wasn't wrong…

* * *

A few minutes after the last ship fell, the group found themselves looking at a planet-like sphere. The world looked like something out of some movie depicting a post-apocalyptic era.

"Says here that the world's name is 'Dusk City.' Should we land down there?" Caleb shrugged.

"We have nothing better to do. Let's go."

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Donald, Goofy, Pluto. World: Traverse Town)**

Donald and Goofy walked into town, wondering just where to start. They took a good look around the town square, interested in how the place bore scorch marks and other signs of battle.

"Now… Where would that Leon be?" Goofy asked.

"Who knows?" Donald replied, taking a close look at the 1st District. Suddenly he felt a light tap on the shoulder and jumped into Goofy's arms, squawking all the way. Standing before them was a young woman wearing a pink dress. She had long brown hair with a red bow holding it in a braid, under which were emerald green eyes. She walked calmly, almost with an otherworldly elegance, towards the duo.

"Did the King send you here?" As Aerith spoke with the King's guards, the King's dog walked off to parts unknown.

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James. World: Traverse Town)**

"Oh… My head…" As I regained consciousness, I also regained feeling. And let me tell you, getting hit in the back of the head by a ninja girl is not fun. I looked at Yuffie, who looked back at me. "You know, you didn't have to hit so darned hard. At the least, you could have attacked me in a less painful place." She grinned in a way that made her seem almost evil.

"Sorry!" I could tell that she wasn't. I mentally swore that I'd make her pay and looked around the green room I was in, toward Squall. He was favoring his side where I had landed a particularly nasty blow.

"Sorry about that, Leon." Squall looked at me, shocked that I knew his name. His fake name, granted, but it was a name.

"How-"

"I heard Cid talking to you on the phone. I take it you've been looking for the Keyblade. I had a feeling that you would come after me the moment I stepped out that shop." I got off the bed, downing one of the few Potions I had. "So, what exactly does this thing do that's so important?" I knew already, but I listened to his explanation to see if he said anything that I didn't know. However, I was disappointed. He spoke of the Heartless, the creatures made of the darkness in men's hearts, always hungry for more hearts. He told me that the Keyblade was a weapon that could fight the Heartless, and protect the worlds from their darkness. I listened as he told me about Ansem the Wise, leader of his world, the man who studied the Heartless and made a report about them. I of course knew that that wasn't true, that Ansem the Wise had never gone deep into his research. Xehanort was the one who made those experiments. I almost laughed at how much they didn't know. Finally, Squall finished his lecture and I simply picked up the Keyblade that was still leaning against the wall and grinned.

"So all I need to do is kill Heartless, find these Reports, use whatever knowledge inside to beat whoever is responsible for this, and bang, the Heartless are done for! Am I right?" Squall sighed.

"In summary, maybe. Of course, the way you're saying it makes it sound easier than it really is. It's probably far more complicated." No sooner had he said that than Yuffie whacked Squall on the back of the head, looking really annoyed.

"Aww, lighten up, Squall! You're always such a downer. You're gonna make the kid lose his self confidence." I had to laugh at the scene. Yuffie scolding someone 9 years older than her was priceless to behold. However, I still noticed the lone Heartless appear out of nowhere. I instantly jumped at the Soldier Heartless, knocking it through the window which, luckily, was open. I ran to the door, opened it, and ran outside, jumping of the second floor, landing on the ground safely. Shrugging aside the thoughts in my head that were screaming _"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST BROKEN A LEG!"_ I looked around, taking in the opposition. 7 Soldiers, 3 Shadows. Nice. Leon landed next to me, hefting the Gunblade.

"Ignore the runts. Their boss should be somewhere around here. Yuffie and I will be keeping the 1st District safe. Can you handle this by yourself?"

"Yeah. Besides, I've got a feeling that I won't be alone when this is over." With that, I ran towards the 3rd District, cutting only through the Heartless that mattered.

* * *

**(3rd person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Caleb, Wilson. World: Dusk City)**

Holly found herself in an alleyway that had seen better days. She and the others walked out into the street and found ruins and lots of them. They walked down what could have been the Main Street of the city. They could see the sun on the horizon, partially eclipsed by the moon.

"What the hell happened here?" Wilson asked.

"Beats me. Mark? Did you see this place in the game?" Caleb turned to Mark, the only person in the group who had played Kingdom Hearts to the end.

"No. However, there may be something… here…" The group turned to where mark was looking and found a big door. Mark ran to it and tried to open it. It didn't budge. Wilson caught up and kicked the door, jumping and grasping his foot in pain. Holly and Caleb arrived and the team pulled on the door. Nothing came of it. Mark stared at the door, trying to find out what to do.

"…Maybe… Of course!"

"What?" Caleb asked.

"Push instead of pull!" Everyone smacked their foreheads. "Hey, it's better than nothing." Mark pushed on the door, Holly and the others pushing as well… But there was no response. "Aw, man…"

"Maybe we need a password. _Mellon_. _Open Says me. Abra Kedabra. Alohomora. Mark rocks!_" The door did nothing from any of the 'passwords.'

"Well, let's search then." They searched the ruins, finding nothing but a few bottles of liquid that Mark guessed to be Potions and a blank book that Holly decided to keep as a journal. The group left, walking back to where they started. There was a strange yellow portal on the ground. Mark walked up to it, examining the light.

"Huh. A Save Point?" Mark walked on top of it, wondering whether it worked the way it did in Kingdom Hearts. Instantly, he disappeared in a flash of light. Everyone stared at the portal, contemplating whether to follow. Getting impatient, Chewbacca barked and jumped in.

"Chewie!" Holly followed Chewbacca, and found herself inside a strange blue… hangar… of sorts. She could see Yen Sid's ship floating, with several small, multicolored creatures tending to it. They were small and had purple bat-like wings flapping franticly to keep in the air. Atop their heads were little red furry pom-pom-like balls connected to their heads by some kind string. The moment Holly saw them, she recognized them as Moogles. She squealed. "CUTENESS!"

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Holly turned around to see Mark, a pink Moogle behind him. The Moogle was sitting on top of Chewbacca's head. "Welcome to Dusk City's Gummi Port. We should go and tell everyone that we're okay." Holly turned around to find a door labeled "1." Mark walked up to the door and opened it. In a flash of light, he disappeared. Holly stood for a few awkward seconds, then looked at the Moogle.

"What's your name?"

"Mogled, kupo."

"… Why do Moogles always say 'kupo?'"

"… Because, kupo."

"Because… why?"

"… None of your business, kupo."

"… Why?" Mogled looked about to lunge at Holly when Caleb, Mark, and Wilson reappeared in a flash of light.

"Not your business, kupo!"

"What is the pom-pom for?" Mogled growled menacingly, then just sighed.

"Your ship is ready, just get your butt out of here, kupo." He flew away, to one of the holes near the ceiling. Mark grabbed Holly and dragged her to the ship. In a few minutes, everyone was ready and the ship launched, and they were off. Holly pulled out her book and started writing.

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James. World: Traverse Town.)**

I walked into the 3rd District, hoping that Donald and Goofy were close by. I walked to the center of the area, keeping my eyes open for Heartless or a flying duck and goof. Almost on cue, I heard an explosion from above and turned around to see Donald and Goofy flying my way. I sighed and side stepped to dodge the flying duo. They landed right next to me. Slightly dazed, the team got up and saw my keyblade.

"The Key!" Donald and Goofy gasped. I smacked my forehead as the Heartless appeared all around us.

"Did you have to say it so loud?" I got into the now-familiar fighting stance and jumped into the fray. Using the Keyblade, I slashed horizontally to destroy 2 Heartless at once. I could hear the sounds of Goofy's shield smashing into a Heartless' face and Donald casting Thunder to electrocute the Shadows. When the last one fell everyone but me relaxed. I looked at them incredulously.

"Didn't they teach you to always be on guard after a battle?"

"Well, we took them all out, right?" No sooner had Donald said that than a large purple living armor appeared.

"I'd say… no." I jumped at the Guard Armor's Helm and smashed my keyblade into it. Donald and Goofy struck with their various techniques. Of course, this happened to present a new challenge for me that is called "friendly fire." Donald's Thunder spell got me and I realized that electricity hurts. A lot. I jumped back, wondering if Donald had done it on accident or on purpose. Regardless, I threw the Keyblade, careful not to hit Goofy, who was spinning like a top in midair, landing several blows on the Guard Armor's Left Hand. The blade hit Guard Armor's Torso and got stuck there. I jumped and landed on the Torso, grabbing the Keyblade and planting both feet on the chest of the creature. I twisted and pulled and the Monster cried out, obviously in pain. As I landed on the ground, Guard Armor's chest exploded. I grinned, and lunged again into the fray. I struck the creature in the face, just in time to get hit with the Right Hand. I tumbled and collapsed on the ground. I tried to grasp the situation, and took stock of what injuries I'd taken. I felt lots of pain in my leg, head, and side. I pulled out a Potion but before I drank it, I felt instantly better. I looked at Donald, who looked like he had just cast Cure on me.

"That's for me zapping you."

"No problem… Look out!" Donald didn't have time to respond as the Left Leg kicked Donald hard in the back. I caught the Wizard and gave him a Potion. He was healed and he cast several Blizzard spells to strike the Heartless. Finally, all that was left was the Helm. Goofy knocked the head towards me. On the way, Donald cast Fire, causing flames to surround the duck to strike the head, turning it into a burning orb. I took the Keyblade in a Baseball stance and swung. The creature was sent flying into the air, where it exploded. I looked at the sky and whistled.

"Ohh… Pretty fireworks." I turned to Donald and Goofy. "Thanks, I don't think I could have handled this alone."

"Aww, shucks, it was nothing." Goofy scratched the back of his head.

"I take it… you guys were looking for me."

"Yeah," Donald and Goofy said. Leon walked up to them.

"They've been seeking the Master of the Keyblade."

"Why don't you join us? We can travel to other worlds with our ship."

I grinned. "Why not? If I go with you, chances are that we'll find my friends."

"Of course we will!" Donald said enthusiastically. Goofy whispered in Donald's ear. Donald whispered back.

"You're not entirely sure, huh? But you need me for something, so you'll say whatever it takes?" I said, leaning in close to them. "No matter. I'm certain that we'll find them. Plus we may be able to find these Reports, stop the Heartless, and put everything right again. Either way, I fulfil my goal. So, I never got your names…"

"Donald Duck." Donald stuck out his hand.

"I'm Goofy." Goofy put his hand on Donald's hand. I grinned and put my hand on the top.

"The name's James. All for one and one for all." With that promise, I gained two new allies and started on a journey I'd never forget. As we walked to the 1st District, Donald introduced me to Jiminy Cricket. He showed me his Journal, which chronicled all the adventures we'd have. We stocked up on supplies, and I even learned to use Fire. I was interested in how it worked the way it did in Kingdom Hearts 2 instead of Kingdom Hearts 1. However, it didn't matter too much. After we were all set, we headed to the Gummi Ship.

* * *

**(1st person POV. Party: NONE. World???)**

The boy has taken everything. I must become stronger. I must break free. I must destroy.

Revenge.

* * *

**Jiminy's Journal Entry**

**James: Wielder of the Keyblade. He was thrown into a new adventure when his world was destroyed. He now aims to find his friends, Kairi and Riku. There's something strange about him, though.**

**Holly's Journal Entry**

**Holly/Chewbacca: That would be us, the proud owners of this book. We found ourselves in a crazy mess after the Heartless invaded our world. I have claw like weapons to strike any enemies with.**

**Mark: My little brother, a Hockey player who wants to join a NHL team when he grows up. He has a Scythe to cut enemies apart with.**

**James: My big brother. He died about two days before all this started. He was a master of video games, and happened to particularly enjoy the story of Kingdom Hearts.**

**Wilson: James' overly violent friend. He was with us when the Heartless attacked our world. He has a spiked ball and chain to smash and pierce his foes.**

**Caleb: A family friend who was with us when the Heartless attacked our world. He uses a Saber and gun to take enemies out from both short and long range.

* * *

**

"The plot thickens… Maybe. This was a very long Chapter, 6 PAGES including the Journals. Like I said before, whenever a new person, etc. not from KH/KH2 appears, the Journal will serve to explain their situation."

Riku: "OK… that's a waste of time."

"No it isn't. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story."


	7. The Cat, The Warrior, and The Enigma

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"Alright, let's party."

Sora: "So, you heading off to the next world?"

"Yep."

* * *

(3rd Person POV. Party:???. World:???.) 

A lone silver-haired man stood in the center of the forest, eyes closed. He held a sword that was slightly longer than he was tall, which, even though it had slain thousands, had never taken a drop of blood. He wore a black coat that was open except in the middle and pants with metal shoulder guards. His boots were also black. The strangest thing about the man was that he had a single black wing on his back, two small black wings on his legs, and two small black wings with a few blood red feathers on his forearms. He opened his eyes, which were emerald green, cat-like, and glowing in the dark. His name was Sephiroth.

"Hmm… I feel a strange power in the distance." The swordsman grinned. "Maybe, his power will be worth… collecting." In a flash, he disappeared, leaving only a few feathers falling in his wake.

* * *

(3rd Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Caleb, Mark, and Wilson. World: Near Twilight Town, Gummi Ship named by team as "_Oathkeeper_") 

"Wonder if Yen Sid wold know where to get the password?"

"Maybe. He is supposed to be really wise. He has a really cryptic book that records the history of the worlds and its future. His library should have a load of knowledge." Mark looked at Caleb, and the ship flew towards Twilight Town. When they neared the world, a light blinded them, and when they opened them, they found themselves in a blue room similar to the Gummi Port they had encountered in Dusk City. Moogles were swarming everywhere here too, and as they got off the ship, they saw the fluff balls wiping and polishing the Gummi Ship. They found four doors numbered from 1 to 5. They looked but only the "3" door seemed to be the only one they could open. When they walked through it, they found themselves in Yen Sid's room. Yen Sid was sitting in his chair, looking, Holly noted, a lot like Dumbledore in posture.

"I take it you need me."

"Yeah, you wouldn't happen to know about the door in Dusk City?" Wilson asked. The wizard sighed. They didn't know just what they were getting into… But in the end, they'd have to go in there, and he had to direct them to Vincent…

"Yes, I do." Yen Sid pulled out a book, one which looked as if it was centuries old. He opened it. "That door might have led to the Heart of that world many thousands of years ago. Now… that world is without a Heart." Mark gasped.

"But, that's not possible… Without a Heart, wouldn't it…"

"There are always exceptions to rules. Now, that door leads into the very deepest parts of the Realm of Darkness, Lost Depths. That is where Vincent Valentine is, among others."

"Do you know how to get in?" Holly asked.

"The Keyblade is the only thing that can open the Door easily, but I believe a man named Sephiroth found a way in a while back. He defected from his Homeworld a few weeks later. He brought three people with him. Only two of those three returned." Mark opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Cloud. If that's the case, then we need to head to Olympus Coliseum." Mark turned and walked back to the portal. The others followed him, until finally Chewbacca followed Holly into the Portal.

"Cloud, I hope you can help them. If Kairi fails… They will be James' only hope of fighting what comes toward him."

Holly was quiet as they flew past Hollow Bastion. They knew that Sora was out there, somewhere, fighting Heartless and saving worlds. But they could probably end it right there if they just went into the castle and took Maleficent down. But then, what would happen next? Would they stop Riku from falling into darkness, or make the descent quicker? If Sora wasn't close enough to Hollow Bastion, Xehanort could take control quicker and they'd make everything worse. They flew off, hoping they didn't make the wrong choice.

* * *

(1st Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. World: In-between Worlds, Aboard the Gummi Ship, _Fenrir_.) 

I looked out the window, wishing that we could just warp to Radiant Garden and get things over with. Instead, I knew I'd have to go through all the sadness and scars that Sora went through. The thought of it made me mad. Why? I mean, I'd love to go through the story of any video game, but at the cost of my family? My friends? My old life? I'd probably never see Holly, Mark or any of the others again. I noticed Goofy look at me funny, and I realized that I was frowning. I instantly slapped on a happy face. _This ship runs on happy faces, this ship runs on happy faces…_ Donald's words to Sora rang in my ears, so I tried to comply. But apparently it was too late, because Goofy, being the silly yet perceptive person he was in this story, got out of his chair and walked up to me.

"You miss your friends?"

"You have no idea."

"Don't worry. If you got off your world, they might of too." I reminded myself that he was talking about Kairi and Riku.

"I'm not sure… Riku and Kairi were in a pretty bad shape when I last saw them… Hey Donald, how long till we get to the next world?"

"You can see it, dead ahead. Wonderland." I looked out the window, grateful for the distraction. Goofy, on the other hand looked disappointed and gave me what I guessed was the fatherly "We'll talk about this later" look. I wondered if Goofy's son, Max, existed in the KH universe, and resolved to ask about it later. We got close to the world, and in a flash, the Gummi Ship had disappeared and we were falling down the Rabbit Hole, literally.

The descent was ridiculously fast at first, but it seemed to slow down as we caught up to chairs, candles, (Donald almost got toasted by it) couches, a table with cards (Donald taught me how to play various card games on the way down) even a bed (Which I laid in for a while, bored out of my mind). Eventually, we landed. We all three landed softly, thanks to me waking Goofy up before we hit the ground. As funny as it might have been, Goofy is a living creature, so I'd resolved to not just let him or Donald get hurt.

No matter how annoying Donald gets.

Just as I expected, the White Rabbit ran past us, still wearing a red coat, still carrying a pocketwatch, and still yelling about the Queen having his head.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

"For a very important date?" I mentally chuckled at my rhyme. He ran behind a corner, and we followed. At the end of the Hall we found ourselves in, there was a door. I opened it, then opened a smaller door inside the door, and another inside that door, and… well you get the idea. In the end, the passageway was so small that I had to crouch a little to get in. We found ourselves in a single room. It was… OK, I'm not going to describe it because it was just WAY too weird for my brain to pick up the details. I walked to the table in the center, and saw the now mini-Rabbit run through a really small door. I walked around the table and crouched in front of the door, knocking vigorously with my index finger.

"Knock knock." The door, which had a face on the doorknob, complete with the keyhole acting as the mouth, yawned. I knew that the Keyhole was just inches from me, but also knew that I couldn't reveal that I knew about them to Donald and Goofy.

"Who's there?"

"Apple."

"Apple who?" Aw man, this was just TOO easy.

"Knock knock." I knocked again.

"Who's there? The Doorknob looked slightly annoyed.

"Apple…"

_A few minutes later…_

"WHO'S THERE?" The Doorknob had obviously had enough.

"Orange." I said. The Doorknob growled before continuing.

"Orange… who?" I waited for a while, gaining suspense.

"Orange you glad I didn't say 'Apple?'"

"If I had hands, I'd… _Yawn_…" The doorknob didn't finish his sentence, as he had fallen asleep.

"Okay… I guess we aren't getting in that way…" I looked around, already knowing how to get to the next room, but not wanting to show it. My eyes finally passed over the bed with a pathway behind it. I walked up to it, leaning against it. As expected, the bed slid into the wall, revealing the path. Luckily, I managed to keep from falling to the ground with the missing weight. I looked at the path, feigning surprise. "This place is weird. It's making me hungry." Almost like it was called, a box of cookies labeled "Eat Me" appeared on the table.

"Thanks." I nibbled it, and started to grow. I was now crouching to avoid being squished by the small-sized room. "Not good, not good… I want to be smaller please!" In response, a bottle of juice appeared, and like the box, it had the words "Drink Me" on it. Already knowing what would happen, I reached for the bottle. Donald looked panicked.

"Don't! You don't know what that will do to you!" I took it anyway, taking a sip. Almost instantly, I shrank back to normal size. I suddenly looked struck by inspiration.

"Maybe these were how the rabbit got so small." I took another sip and shrank to one-fourth my original size, small enough to get through the passage. Donald and Goofy took a sip and reduced to one-fourth their sizes, following me to the doorway. We found ourselves in a hedge… room. At one end was the pathway we came through, and the other side, separated by a hedge archway, was what looked like an outdoor courtroom, where a trial was going on. Sitting in the judge's seat was an incredibly fat woman wearing a black and red dress with hearts on it. I sneered at the sight of the Queen of Hearts. Standing in the defendant's seat was none other than Alice, a young blonde wearing a blue dress with a white apron in front. On either side of them there were several large cards with hands and feet carrying Spears and axes. I could barely hear the trial from where I was standing, but it didn't matter because I knew what would happen in the end. I moved my hand into a position where I could easily throw the Keyblade to block any attack on Alice.

"…I find you guilty of attempting to steal my heart. Off with her head!" I saw a heart card raise its axe as it neared Alice, and threw the Key, much to the protest of Donald, who was chewing me out for interfering with the world order.

"Shut up, Donald, you have no idea what her death could mean. Besides, the Heartless did it, not that girl." It wasn't a Strike Raid, but the Keyblade still struck the card's axe, sending it flying toward the White Rabbit, who was right next to the queen. The Rabbit ducked, dodging the axe. I walked up to the Queen, absently tossing a miniaturized cookie with the words "_Eat me, you know you want to!_" on the frosting up and down. I grinned and called the Keyblade back to my hand.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Queen turned a dark shade of red, glaring with what she probably assumed was a scary expression. To me, it looked just plain stupid.

"This girl is innocent, and I am here to reveal the real culprit. Give me 20 minutes of recess before finishing the trial, and I will bring you evidence of who really did it. If I'm not able to, you can do as you want to the both of us." I grinned as I continued to toss the cookie up and down. I looked to Donald and Goofy, who were both staring at me like I was nuts. Maybe I was. Ah well. The Queen pondered this for a minute. I leaned into her ear. "If I can't find proof, it means you get four bloodbaths instead of one…" The Queen smiled. I had her at "bloodbath."

"So be it. A 20-minute break. But that is all!" I turned to Donald and Goofy.

"You guys stay here to protect Al… the blonde. I don't trust _Her Majesty_ to not chop her head off while I'm gone." They looked puzzled when I almost used Alice's name before I was introduced. "Find out her name and how she got into this mess. I think I know where to get the evidence." I left to a path on the left side of the room from where we entered.

* * *

(PARTY CHANGE: James. Location: Wonderland: Forest.)

* * *

I walked into the forest, not at all surprised when I saw the Cheshire Cat standing and balancing on its head, literally. What did surprise me was what he had to say. 

"So, new boy, I guess you know what to do already? Quite the nice _replacement_…" As the cat said this, he started rolling around on his head, getting a good look at me.

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"The Cheshire cat has all the answers, but as you know, _replacement_, He doesn't always tell. You've quite the enemy to deal with, though…" He laughed and disappeared piece by piece until only his mouth, still laughing, was left. Then it too faded out of sight, the laughter fading as well.

"Stupid cat… I hate when he's being cryptic."

Shrugging it aside, I walked onward, searching through the forest (and the Weird Room) for the four pink boxes that contained the evidence. Along the way, I fought several small, floating mage Heartless and two Large Bodies. I chose not to waste time giving a potion to the flower and took a nibble of the cookie I had been keeping with me. I increased in size enough to push a stump into the ground, revealing the path I needed to take to get to the final present. I grabbed a fruit from one of the trees and sucked on it, reducing in size. I pocketed the now mini-fruit and walked to the now-revealed path to the Weird Room. I picked up the present, and the Cheshire Cat appeared to me again.

"So you found the last piece, _replacement_… Alright. Here, take these. Maybe you'll do a good job with them." The cat threw two items to me. One was a blue sphere, and when I caught it, it absorbed into me, causing a chilly sensation. I instantly learned the spell, Blizzard. The other item was a flute that had a strange crystal that was part ruby, part diamond implanted near the end opposite the mouthpiece. I looked at the cat, wondering what it was.

"I believe it is called _Hero's Awakening_. You should understand what it is." I looked at it again, noticing a power inside that could only be…

"A summon?"

"Yes… Just take it, before I change my mind. It already works." Th flute disappeared into the Keyblade and I turned to walk into the garden, ready to help Alice.

(3rd Person POV. Party: Cheshire Cat. World: Wonderland.)

"Amazing… he did it faster than Sora… Maybe Destiny was right to choose him… then again, the _replacement_ had help…"

"_Why? Why did you give him a summon so early?"_

"Because… I believe he can do this better with that being's help. And besides… I didn't have any use for it." The cat grinned at the figure behind him.

"_I hate you so much…You're messing up my plans."_

"Kekekeh… I know…" The cat continued to laugh as the being lost in darkness and driven to madness because of it returned to its dark realm. "James… the _replacement_ of the Key Child… The world's fate lies in your hands… Don't screw up, silly boy!"

* * *

"The Author knows all the answers, but doesn't always tell… Heheheh…" 

Riku: "I know who one of the new villains is! It's-" (James: "Spell: Censor." Riku status: censored) "-_BEEP! BEEP CENSORED BEEP BE CENS_?"

"No revealing for you!"

Riku: "_CENSORED CENS_!"

"I love that spell. Next chapter, the new summon will be revealed. Note that summons appear in different places in this story and are different than in the game."


	8. Shocking Battle with Trickmaster

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"Just so you know, _Italics _means that a Summon is talking to me… James… somebody… Ah, forget it."

Riku: "_CENSORED BEEP BEEP_!"

"Do you promise not to spoil anything?"

Riku: (nods) "_CEN!_"

"Esuna!" (Riku Status: Normal) "Now, how about we handle this chapter?"

Riku: "Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Caleb, Wilson. World: _Oathkeeper._)**

Holly sighed. This was taking much longer than she thought. It took a long time to get from Twilight Town to Olympus Coliseum, and there was nothing to do while waiting. No music, no games or books, and not even some kind of training area where they could hone their fighting skills. How did Yen Sid expect them to get stronger without something to help them get stronger.

"… OK, I'm sick and tired of looking into outer space. I think that by now anything would be better, even being attacked," Mark growled.

"Don't say that. Sure, it would be a change of pace, but it would mean risking being destroyed, and in this game, there are no orbs to restore energy or armor. Plus, there's no such thing as a second chance if it becomes 'game over.'" Mark looked to Holly, not surprised that she had made a good point, but they both knew that she had one more thing to add to that list.

'No annoying game freak brother to save our butt and give advice…'

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. World: Wonderland.)**

I walked up to the Queen silently thankful that she hadn't tried anything. I pulled out the four pieces of evidence of a Heartless attack.

"Here's the evidence, all wrapped up for you." I bowed mockingly. The Queen scowled as she took the boxes. As I expected, she pulled out a single box of her own and mixed them with the rest of the packages so that it was impossible for her to tell exactly which one was which.

"Now, choose one box. That box will be the only one that counts."

I could tell that Donald and the others, including Jiminy, who was sitting in Goofy's hat, did not like that little implication. I looked at the five boxes, pondering. It was four out of five that I'd get the right one, but if I got that fifth one…

_"Pick any of them except the second one from the right. Trust me, I can smell the darkness coming from your packages."_

I blinked as I heard the voice, but couldn't find out where it came from. Trying to keep my composure, I took a look around me without moving a muscle. There was nothing to my left or right. Nor was there anything above or below.

_"In your heart, dunderhead."_

'In my… heart?' I thought. 'Kairi?'

_"**NO! DO I FREAKING SOUND LIKE A GIRL?** Just open any of those boxes except the second one from the right! **DO IT NOW!**"_ The voice rang in my head like someone was yelling in my ear. I obeyed, picking out the middle one. The box opened, showing an illusion of a Soldier Heartless, which promptly disappeared. Everyone stared at the spot where the Illusion was, and finally the Queen managed to regain what little composure she had.

_"See? Good thing I was around to help you out, kid!"_

"… What was THAT?" The Queen spluttered.

"Your culprit." I watched as the Queen of Hearts started to lose her composure. Her face started turning red with embarrassment and rage. Finally, She raised her staff.

"YOU LIE! CARD SOLDIERS, ATTACK!" I pulled out the Keyblade, knowing that there was a way to end the battle quick. Focusing on the place where the voice had come from, I called for help. As Donald and Goofy stared in awe, A shock wave of energy burst from my body, knocking all unfriendly enemies off their feet. The Keyblade disappeared, replaced by Hero's Awakening. Not even caring that I didn't remember how to play the flute, (I had had lessons a long time ago, but I was never good) I put the flute to my lips, my heart guiding my fingers and breath. A happy and fact paced melody came forward, and I heard the voice from before.

_"Yes! After all this time, I get some action! All these guys are toast."_ The flute burst into several sparks of lightning, which danced around me until they jumped atop my head, fusing and materializing into the summon itself.

'Please be something good, please be something good…' I mentally pleaded.

"Pika!"

'WHAT!?' Out of all the creatures I could have summoned… it had to be Pikachu? The yellow mouse Pokemon jumped from my head, and I noticed that it wasn't a normal Pikachu. It was wearing a red bandana with a round badge with wings on it around its neck and a belt with a storage space for items around its waist. This Pokemon also had faint scars from burns and claws. I could only surmise that the Heartless had done most of it. Pikachu looked to me, grinning.

"Pika pi Chu, Pi pika." As it spoke, I could hear it sending a translation along the bond we now shared.

_"The name's Volt, dumbass."_ Volt turned back to his foes, launching forward with electricity bursting from his cheeks. He struck the Cards with amazingly quick attacks, electric shocks, and by throwing various rocks and sharpened sticks. Breaking out of my daze, I launched forward, aiding my new ally. As we blasted through the staggering number of Cards towards the Queen, Donald and Goofy freed Alice and tried to escort her to the Weird Room. Once or twice, I got hit, and I started to slow down. When I thought I couldn't fight any longer, I saw Volt jump and spin, throwing a blue berry towards me. As soon as it hit, the Oran Berry burst into several bits of light and became absorbed by my wounds, healing them. Volt then unleashed a Thunderbolt to clear a way to the Queen. Rushing at a speed that I kept reminding myself I couldn't reach a few days ago, I sprung up to the Queen's throne. I nibbled a bit of the cookie I had, causing me to be twice the size and height I was before, and pointed my now-cannon-sized Keyblade at her face, a Blizzard spell at the ready. Volt was also bigger due to the link I could feel we now had. He was now half as big as the card soldiers, and he had a much bigger advantage over them.

_"I could get used to this…"_ Volt commented as he pounded a card into the ground with his now huge Iron Tail.

"Surrender, you're no match." Hesitating only a few seconds, the Queen made a movement and her troops stood down, giving Donald and the others the shot they needed at escaping. As soon as they had left, I walked over to the exit, keeping my Keyblade pointed at the queen. Volt followed my allies to pick up some of the shrinking juice. If I was right, whatever changed me changed my summon in the same way and vice-versa. If I was right, and Volt drank the shrinking juice… Of course, if it didn't, I could use that shrinking fruit I found in the forest…

"… Nice weather we're having, eh?"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Volt (Summoned), Donald, Goofy, Alice.) **

Volt sighed as he caught up with Donald and Goofy. His summoner was a special kid, if his memories were any sign, though had much more to go by than that. Two memories of two different childhoods, one in a human city where Pokemon was a technological game, as was the journey he was taking now, and a totally different childhood on a set of Islands. Currently that childhood was dormant, and he couldn't call on them at will. However, soon enough the seal would break and he would definitely be confused by the two pasts. Maybe that's why those memories were sealed in the first place… The boy reminded Volt of another friend of his, one that he'd never see again.

Donald turned around and looked at Volt, surprised that it had come without James. What was keeping him?

"Pika!" the mouse, still supersized, ran past Donald, Goofy, and Alice to the table. It jumped from the ground to the chair to the top of the table. Donald and Goofy followed and watched as the creature took a sip of the shrinking drink. Instantly it returned to the small size it was before. "Pi, Pikachu!" it exclaimed, obviously happy to be normal. Soon after, they heard screaming that came from the Queen's Garden. James quickly appeared and started shooting balls of ice at his pursuers, the cards and the Queen.

"Looks like your friends are in a bit of trouble. Of course, you can't help him right now, as you have your own troubles…" Donald and Goofy turned in shock to see the Cheshire Cat's grin disappear with the rest of him as a tall, strange looking Heartless appeared.

Volt sighed as all other fighting stopped from the shock and an invisible wall separated James and Alice from the rest of the group. _'Looks like I have to do all the work, as always…'_

Volt began with his trademark technique, Zap Cannon. It was always a good thing to start with because it might catch an opponent off guard and hit it, even if the attack wasn't really accurate. As expected, Trickmaster was too tall to duck the attack and was too slow and impracticably built to dodge to the left or right. However, as expected, it could jump very well. Volt grinned as the Heartless boss jumped over the attack and responded by throwing Silver Spikes at the tall monstrosity. Donald and Goofy followed up with various attacks, trying to stop the Heartless. As is, Volt had but a moment to see how James and Alice were holding up. James was fighting alongside the cards and the Queen against a large swarm of Heartless that were congregating near the Doorknob. At the same time, he was protecting Alice from any threats. Volt turned back to his battle, calling up Thunderwave to slow the Heartless down so he could pull out his own custom ability, Thundaja Tackle, the combination of Volt Tackle and the human spell Thundaga. Donald and Goofy saw the electric energy charging and the sorcerer cast Thunder to help charge Volt's attack while Goofy helped to further restrict the Heartless' movement.

_'TAKE THIS, YA FOOL!'_ Volt finally loosed his powerful Thundaja Tackle, hitting Trickmaster in the face. Volt slammed the enemy into the fireplace, unleashing electric attack after electric attack. Finally, the Volt jumped off the Heartless and examined his work.

_'Heh, I'm **so** good.'_ Trickmaster was disintegrating like any normal Heartless would, its charred body fading away. The Heart that it was made from floated away, into the grasp of that Organization XIII, if that boy's memories could be believed…

About the same time, James finished the last of the generic Heartless, kinda put out that he didn't get to face the boss Heartless.

"See, I told you, those guys were bad news. Alice was innocent all along." He said as the invisible wall fell. The Queen considered this for a while.

"… So be it. Judgement has been passed on those dark creatures, and will continue to be passed down. Alice is cleared of all charges…" Suddenly, the Doorknob yawned and a strange light burst from its mouth. I grinned as I pointed the Keyblade at the Doorknob.

Everyone stared in awe as a strange glowing heart-shaped symbol appeared beneath James. James stood in the center of it, standing upon a Keyhole-shaped light. The world around them changed into a look of a twilit sky, clouds flowing around them. James smiled as the Keyblade launched a beam of light at the Keyhole that floated about 12 feet from him. A sound like something being locked was heard, and the world returned to normal. The Doorknob had finished his yawn and was fast asleep once again.

"… What was that?" Goofy managed as he walked up to James. The Keybearer spun on his heel, a smile on his face.

"Hey, my weapon is a key. Therefore, it must have a door or something to lock or unlock. Isn't it obvious?" Volt jumped on James head, giving a 'better-than-thou' kind of smirk. "By the way, I haven't introduced you to Volt, right? This is Volt, my first Summon. Volt, this is Donald and Goofy, my teammates."

"Summon?" Goofy asked.

"It's a being that I can call forward for a while to fight enemies. He has other uses, too. He can sniff out darkness, for one."

_'Really helped me during my battles with the Heartless. They were virtually unable to sneak up on me.'_ Volt sent over the link. James thought about that statement. Volt HAD faced the Heartless before…

"He can't speak in human language, but I can hear his thoughts. Very… interesting fellow."

_'Interesting? You've got to be kidding. I'm AWESOME!'_

"I think he's kinda hyper-OW!" Volt took the opportunity to smack James over the head and disappeared, returning to the summon gem he came from.

_'I'll show you hyper!'_ James heard him growl from inside his heart.

"Well, Alice, it may be a smart idea to try and find a way back to your homeworld," James said as he walked up to Alice, nursing the bump on his head. Alice nodded and turned to leave. Donald and Goofy, however, looked at him suspiciously. James wondered about that… until he realized his mistake. Alice had never told him that she was from another world. 'Crap.'

"How'd you know about that? Alice never told you, and we never told you, either."

"Uhh… the Cheshire Cat told me."

_"No I didn't,"_ The cat's voice rang out in the room.

"Yes, you did. Don't you remember?"

_"Nope."_

'Darn cat.' "… It's my own business… at least for now." James added at the glares that he got from his friends as he headed to the Save point he had seen near the Queen's Garden. At least Alice was safe and the opening of the 'Door to Darkness' Xehanort sought was impeded…

* * *

Jiminy's Journal Entry

Volt: A small yellow mouse. Although he only says variations of the three syllables, "Pi," "Ka," and "Chu," James claims to be able to understand him through telepathy. He also claims that Volt is arrogant, loud, and slightly foulmouthed. Not much is known about him beyond that.

When James summons him, Volt can use various electric attacks and projectile weapons.

New Limit: Thundaja Tackle: Volt charges large amounts of electricity and uses it in double attack consisting of Thundaja and Volt Tackle. Can be sped up and powered up by casting Thunder spells on Volt during the limit.

* * *

Jiminy's Journal Entry

Volt: A small yellow mouse. Although he only says variations of the three syllables, "Pi," "Ka," and "Chu," James claims to be able to understand him through telepathy. He also claims that Volt is arrogant, loud, and slightly foulmouthed. Not much is known about him beyond that.

When James summons him, Volt can use various electric attacks and projectile weapons.

New Limit: Thundaja Tackle: Volt charges large amounts of electricity and uses it in double attack consisting of Thundaja and Volt Tackle. Can be sped up and powered up by casting Thunder spells on Volt during the limit.

* * *

"Whoops."

Sora: "No kidding."

Riku: "Ya don't say?"

Kairi: "Well… that was a stupid move."

"Ah well… _Final Fantasy is an RPG_…" (gets shot at by Yuna)

Yuna: "NO SINGING!"

"My story."

Yuna: "Don't make me shoot you."

"You already did. Besides, I'm invincible here. You can't kill me. You're just text designed to amuse my twisted mind."

Yuna: "…"

"Haha! Text. All you are. T-E-X-T. Got it memorized?"

Yuna: "… **CENSORED FOR LANGUAGE! OH BOY, YOU SHOULD HEAR THIS! I DONE TICKED HER OFF GOOD! OH, IT'S OVER, CENSORING DONE!** YOU PIECE O- **OOPS! I GOT THE WRONG SIGNAL! SORRY. NOW SIGNING OFF**."


	9. Olympus

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

Montblanc: "Wow, 3 updates to the site in the span of a week, and over 20,000 words in XIII Ninja alone. You've been burning the midnight oil!"

"... Yeah, of course I have."

Riku: "Of course, you've been neglecting this story for FOUR MONTHS, choosing instead to write about Naruto having Organization XIII powers, Harry Potter with summoning powers, and all the screwed up crud that is in Gathering of Worlds..."

"... I know. I hope no one thinks I've given up on this story. It had few people reading it to begin with..."

Mickey: "Don't worry. It's bound to get more readers once you write more chapters in."

"... Yeah. Yeah! Time to rock and roll! New chapter coming your way!"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. World: Just outside Wonderland, _Fenrir_)**

He may be clumsy and naive at times, and he knew that he wasn't really smart, but Goofy wasn't a complete idiot. He had managed to pass College, after all. When he heard James tell Alice to return to her homeworld, he knew there was something about him... And the fact that James tried to cover it up only confirmed his suspicions. His suspicions hadn't just started, either. When James dodged their fall on him when they first met, he didn't move in a frenzied way, prefering to simply step aside... Almost like he knew they were coming.

Then there was the look he had on his face on the way to Wonderland. The look was of someone who missed his friends, but from what Goofy could see, it wasn't just Riku and Kairi he worried about. When Goofy talked to him about it and mentioned those two, he seemed surprised, like he wasn't expecting Goofy to be talking about them. Just when the Captain of the Royal Guard was about to ask about it, James went and changed the subject. It was like there were others that he just _knew_ he'd never see again, even if everything was fixed up the way they were before.

Finally, there was the way that he seemed to know how people thought. When he mentioned bloodbaths to the Queen of Hearts, he seemed to know that she would accept the deal. Likewise, he never seemed genuinely surprised by anything, even by the strangeness that was Wonderland.

He had read a few of the books on magic in the castle, and while he never made the effort to learn the spells, he had had learned much about the spells. In his suspicion, Goofy wished he had at least tried to learn that one kind of mind-reading magic... Legamusy, or something like that... so that he could see what James was hiding. As it was, though, there was nothing to do about it except try to lure the truth from him. He turned to the dark brown-haired enigma sitting next to him.

"So, James... other than Riku and Kairi, is there anyone else you miss?" The boy looked at the anthromorphic dog, contemplating something.

"... Yeah. I do, actually. There's my family..."

'Now we're getting somewhere!' "Really? What are they like?"

"Well, there's my sister. She likes... reading. Reading and writing... She's also got a temper and a strong fist. I learned about those after annoying her too much. My brother is Mr. Athletic. He plays this one sport, and he's even taught me a few moves. The kid's small, but the phrase 'it's not how much wieght you have, it's how you throw it around' applies to him..."

* * *

As the Oathkeeper approached Antlantica, Holly sneezed, shortly followed by Mark. 

"Any sign of Monstro?" Mark asked as he rubbed his nose.

"Who?"

"Mons... Nevermind. If you see a whale, we need to get our butts out... of... oohhh crud." Mark trailed off, aghast, looking behind Wilson. Wilson turned around and saw a giant whale coming toward them.

"I... I take it that THAT'S Monstro?!"

"CALEB, GET US OUT OF HERE!" Caleb changed course, heading back the way they came.

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. World: **_**Fenrir)**_

* * *

"There's a world," James said, looking at the place before him. Olympus Colesseum... Why did he get a horrible feeling about it? 

_"I smell darkness, and lots of it," _Volt sent to the Keybearer.

'I don't think Hades would have that kind of power...'

_"He is a Lord of the Underworld, King to the Dead..."_

'Yeah... I guess.'

"Okay, James, let's go." The ship neared the world and, like before, The group found themselves in a greek-styled world, a large colesseum before them.

"Well... at least it's not as strange as Wonderland..." James said.

"Yeah..." Donald agreed. As the three entered the colesseum, they failed to notice a presence behind them, watching from the entrance to the Underworld. The man with silver hair smiled, dissapearing into darkness.

Inside, James found himself watching a short, tubby half-goat man working on fixing a sign. Although the goat was in the way, he could see the Title: "Hero's Tournement coming soon! Heroes, sign up fro the Preliminaries and prove your worth!"

"Hey, uh, excuse me? You wouldn't be the proctor of this tournement, would you?" James asked with fake uncertainly.

"Yeah, I'm Phil. What of..." He turned around to see them. "Oh, just a bunch of kids. You here to get tickets to watch the show?"

"No," James turned to look at his companions. "... I'd like to enter my self and my friends." Phil stared at them for a while, then suddenly started guffawing. Donald and Goofy, who were glaring at their friend for dragging them into some tournement, suddenly directed thier attention to the Proctor of the Hero's Tournement. "Hey, I'm serious! We're big time heroes! We may not look like much, but as a team we're traveling all over the place to save people." James pulled out the Keyblade.

"Ohohoho, yeah, sure, and I'm Zeus. You think you got what it takes to be a hero? Fine, then come with me." Phil lead the team to the inside of the colesseum. There was a obstacle course littered with barrels. James noted that it looked less like the course in the game and more like an actual obstacle course. He noticed a dummy dressed up remarkably (and strangely) like Kairi, tied to a post at the end of the course.

"Let me guess... Destroy all barrels and save the 'damsel' in a given amount of time?" James asked.

"Yep, and that includes getting her back here unharmed. You've got three minutes... GO!" James rushed to the first barrel, knocking it and another barrel high into the air, causing the both of them to collide and burst. The Keybearer then made haste over a 8 foot long pit of alligator-infested water, jumping from gator to gator. He was mildly surprised at his dexterity as he leaped three feet from a gator, through a swinging blade, to solid land, knocking the barrel backwards into the dangerous obstacle. He then saw a pit of spikes about ten feet long. Sitting on its side at the end of the pit near him was another, fragile-looking barrel. Thinking for a moment, James jumped to the barrel, rolling it across the spikes, and jumping off at the oposite end. As he did, the barrel burst into nothing.

"He's doomed," Phil grinned. However, this didn't deter the hero in training. Ignoring the last barrel, he rushed up to the dummy and cut it free. Carrying 'her' bridal style, James gingerly knocked the barrel on it's side and rolled it across the spikes, jumping rather forcefully off the barrel, bursting it with a combination of the spikes and the pressure caused by his feet. The rest of the course was easy enough, holding no complications. As he stepped over the goal line, Phil blew a whistle. "2 minutes, 10 seconds... Not bad, but I've seen much faster."

"Yeah, but on their first go?" Phil shut up then. James smiled.

"By the way, who holds the record, and what is it?"

Phil grinned. "The son of Zeus, Hercules, did it in 38 seconds." James whistled.

"Not bad... He must be pretty good... But since I beat this course, that means I have some potential, right?"

"... Yeah. Now, let's see how you two do." Donald, with his magic, was able to destroy the barrels easily, but since he hadn't put any attention to agility and physical capabilities, he took most of his time getting across the obstacles with all of his tail feathers intact, getting done in 2:35. Goofy did better, but his inherent clumsiness slowed him down consderablely. He finished in 2:21.

"Not bad, not bad. A little rough around the edges, but you've got potential."

"So, we can enter?"

"... Eh, why not? Just... be careful. There are some real goons this time around." James noded. "The lockers are through that door. You guys can rest there while waiting for the prelims to start."

* * *

As the three of them walked to the locker rooms he pointed out, Phil scratched his beard. 

"So... That's the boy Zeus told me to look after... It's not often that someone gets top priority assignments from Mt. Olympus itself... and over such a little kid..."

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Caleb, Mark, Wilson. World: **_**Oathkeeper**_

* * *

"Is it still after us?" Caleb asked frantically. 

"No... I don't think so..." Mark said, checking behind the ship. His eyes widened. "Caleb..."

"It's STILL after us?" Wilson asked irritably.

"No, worse... PIRATES!" The Oathkeeper sped away from the giant pirate ship a few yards away, heading towards Halloween Town...

* * *

"Ohh... Zeus knows something you don't know..." 

Sora: "That's definitly strange. And what about Holly and the others?"

"Eh, they'll be fine. Next chapter has the battle with Cloud and possibly Cerberus. Oh, by the way, the first to figure out the identity of the secret villian I've been hinting at through the series (not Sephiroth, he's obvious) and PM me with the correct guess gets a virtual cookie. I know how people love those things. See ya then."

Riku: "Although I don't know when the lazy punk is gonna do another chapter of this..." (Recieves Glare from Author) "... But he will get it eventually!"

"Like I said, see ya then!"


	10. Prelims and a Close Encounter

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"Rant time!"

Shadow: "Here we go..."

"Has anyone noticed how idiodic the main protaganists of certain games tend to be? I have, and most recently in Pokemon Ranger. Partway through the story, the main character met an old man who he has to help out of a forest. Turns out that this old sod is the bad guy of the game and, even though it's painfully obvious from the get go, the main character doesn't suspect a thing until the coot just plain out tells them it! Again, during the 'challenges' mission in the ruins, the main character and his/her partner are easily tricked into finishing the fourth challenge, which creates a calamity! And once again, they don't realize this until it's far too late! The fool..." (Eye twitches. Takes a deep breath) "Okay, rant done. I've decided that, from now on, before chapters, I will sometimes place a quote that suits the chapter. This trend started with my second newest story, Pokemon Wizard, and I liked it. Enjoy the chapter!"

* * *

Quote for this chapter: 

_"I wanna be a hero_

_Give me just one chance_

_And the future will decide_

_If there's a hero buried deep inside_

_I wanna be a hero"-Pokemon Advanced opening: I wanna be a Hero!_

* * *

**(3rd person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Caleb, Wilson. Aboard the _Oathkeeper_)**

* * *

"..." 

"..."

"..."

"... DARNIT! It didn't take this long in the game!"

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. World: Olympus Colosseum)**

* * *

'DARNIT! It didn't take this long in the game!' I seethed to myself, wondering when the heck we would be called out for our next match. 

_"What'd ya expect? This isn't the game, you know! Tournements take a while... Why don't you go over your plans for anything you need to change?"_ Volt asked.

'I know... There's not really anything I need to change in this world... Not yet, anyway... The only reason I'm here is because I need to meet these people for after Castle Oblivion.'

_"Speaking of Castle Oblivion... what do you plan to do about the whole 'Oh, I'm Namine, I'll be nuking your memories and replacing them with fake ones now' deal?"_

'I'm... not sure. I have to help her... After all, she's a part of Kairi.'

_"Which leads us to another detail: What are we gonna do about Kairi? We'll have to get her out of your heat sometime, and for all we know, she could be able to see your other memories... How are you going to get her out, and how are you going to explain the memories if she mentions them?"_

'... I'm probably going to have to resort to using the Dark Keyblade, like Sora. And I intend on telling her the truth, just as soon as I know it myself. I don't know why I'm here. If the whole reincarnation deal was true, I wouldn't have my memories of before dying, and I'd start out being a baby... It has to be something else...'

"Hey, James! Our first match is up!" I looked up, glancing at Donald, who was waving to me.

"Right."

* * *

The match went smoothly, thanks to the Thunder spell Phil had given me right before the battle. I found that sending bolts of lightning down on Mr. Tubby made it much easier to kill the sucker than trying to get behind him. Electricty is a wonderful concept. No wonder Volt likes it so much. I grinned as I smacked down the Air Soldier (Hey, I thought those didn't appear till later!) and caused it to dissapate. 

"Great job, kids. Now, I suggest you rest up for your next match. The way to becoming a Hero is made easier by two simple words..." I ignored him, looking instead at the warrior who was fighting his match now. The unmistakable blond spikes of Cloud Strife topped the man who crushed a Fat Bandit in one swift strike of his sword. He left the arena as soon as the match was over, but stopped and locked eyes with me. He looked tense, as though he was about to strike, and I prepared to defend, the Keyblade mere milliseconds away from being summoned to block an attack. However, the moment passed, and Cloud walked away. I knew he wasn't a bad guy, but right now, he and I were rivals.

Heh, who knew that one day I could call myself a rival of Cloud?

* * *

**(3rd person POV. Party: Cloud.)**

* * *

"Sephiroth." 

"Wonderful to see you again, Cloud. Have you gotten any stronger?"

"I've gotten strong enough to beat you!" The blond rushed forward, only to knocked back. Sephiroth didn't even blink as he watched Cloud get back up.

"... That boy."

"Huh?"

"The one thats fighting right now..." Cloud looked at the boy. He had dark, dark brown hair, and was weilding a key-shaped weapon. It was the boy who had been observing him before. "He's weilding the Keyblade."

"Wait... Isn't the Keyblade..."

"Yes..."

"... You're going to make him yours, aren't you? Just another puppet?"

"... Not right now. I want to see his strength. You and he will likely fight very soon. Fight him well."

"You won't be able to take him. I saw his will. You can't break it."

"I will, Cloud. I'll become a part of him, and when his power proves suitable... I will take it from him, and the Keyblade along with it. I will then use the Keyblade's power to become a god." The warrior had a sick, twisted smile filled with the confidence that what he said was true. "It is inevitable... unless, of course, he were to die before then..."

"..."

"Do you have what it takes to stop me? The anger and hate needed to kill a still-inocent life in order to slow me down?" Cloud didn't reply, instead walking off to see his client...

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy.)**

* * *

I looked at the bracket. Sure enough, Cloud had won his match, and would be facing us in the final match of the prelims. 

"Are ya worried?" James turned to face Goofy. "That Cloud guy sure seems like a tough customer. Maybe we should forfiet..."

"Nah. We can take him, as a team. Look, he's good with that sword, but I figure that if we play to our strengths, we will be much more powerful. I'm pretty fast now, and I could probably get at him from his blind spots. Goofy, that shield of yours can take some big blows. If things get bad, I think we can count on you to guard with it. Otherwise, you're pretty strong, and you can do well attacking him head on, serving as a distraction for me and Donald while still doing a good deal of damage. Donald, with his magic, is good at longer ranges. As a team, we will win." I grinned, throwing my fist into the air in a falsely enthusiastic gesture. As I did, I realized that the speech was for my confidence, too. Ever since seeing Cloud, I had started to hold a forboding feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something about him was different than I remembered...

Nevertheless, I shook hands with him before the match started, feeling fully confident in my skills. I could see Hades in the background, planning to release Cerberus the first chance he got. The whistle blew, and Cloud rushed forward, swinging his sword in a horizontal arc. Goofy, as planned, had blocked the attack with his shield, which held up against the Buster Sword while I lunged forward for a strike at his chest...

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Cloud.)**

* * *

... And missed as Cloud dissapeared in a blur of speed, leaping backwards. He looked past his oppponent, knowing that Sephiroth was watching from the shadows. 

_"It is inevitable... unless, of course, he were to die before then..."_

Cloud narrowed his eyes, dodging another attack. This kid was good, but in a battle against Sephiroth, there would be no hope of victory. He had to do whatever it took to stop Sephiroth, before it was too late... He had to use THAT move. He dissapeared, moving at high speeds, knocking James into the air.

"I'm sorry, but this must be..." He spun his sword, resting it against his shoulder. James' eyes widened, as if he knew what would happen next. Cloud jumped into the air after him, slashing the child multiple times with his sword. James blocked and deflected the worst of it, but fell to the ground, blleding heavily as he tried vainly to get up. "Your end!" Cloud dived down, ready to thrust the sword into the Keybearer's heart...

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy.)**

* * *

...Only to be bitten and thrown like a rag doll into the stands by Cerberus. 

"Oh, one little rule Phil doesn't mention: Accidents happen," Hades said, brushing his hand through his 'hair,' looking vaugely smug. Phil shot him a shocked look, but said nothing as he quickly helped James up. Suddenly, Hercules appeared, slashing at the three headed dog to ward it off.

"I'll hold it off! Go!" Phil wasted no time, and James retreated along with the rest of them.

* * *

"... Dang... That... that was some attack. To think... I almost died..." James looked at the floor after downing several Potions (while wishing that he had a Hi-Potion). He considered his options. Herc could probably take care of himself, but he didn't want to take any risks. He looked up, turning to his comrades. He was at almost full power again... "Guys... we need to help Hercules." 

"WHAT?" Donald squawked. Goofy shook his head.

"No way. A short while ago, you were looking death in the face. You may be Keyblade Master, but you're still just a boy. You can't be expected to go back out there. Such things aren't good for a kid's mind." James smiled. If only they knew how close he had been to death before... Donald would lay eggs... He laughed at the impossibility of that.

"... I know it sounds wierd, but, I know what most of my foes are capable of, probably better then they themselves. It's hard for me to explain, but just consider it a gift. Cloud was an exception. He used an attack I wasn't expecting him to use. I knew he had it, but I never thought he'd attack me with it... This time, I don't plan on underestimating my foe." His eyes narrowed, giving him a feral look. "I don't care if you guys are against it, but I'm going back out there. That's what a Keyblade Master does. Thats... what a hero does." He turned his back on them, running out to the arena. Donald and Goofy exchanged looks, and followed.

James was already fighting alongside Hercules, jumping on Cerberus' hind legs and then to it's back. James jumped at the right head from behind, stabing at it. The dog yowled in pain, throwing James off. It glared in James' direction, but upon seeing the Keybearer, winced, and backed off. James raised an eyebrow at this, but pushed his advantage, striking the canine several times. James even used his spells to do more damge to it, aided by Donalds spells. Goofy was working with Herc, smashing at the middle head with his shield. finally, the guardian of the underworld fell to the ground, only faint twitching proving that it still lived. James spun the Keyblade and rested it on his shoulder in a victory pose. Hercules watched from a distance as the travelers celebrated.

"Those three... They're something else."

* * *

"I hereby dub thee Junior Heroes..." 

"What'dya mean Junior Heroes?" Donald squawked in Phil's face, obviously annoyed. Phil poked the duck's beak, knocking him back.

"You still don't know what it is to be a true hero."

"I do." Everyone turned to James. "A hero is someone who holds other people's lives over thier own interests. They're willing to put thier lives on the line, if it means that others can live happily and free. It doesn't matter how strong..." He looked to Hercules. "Or smart..." He glanced to Donald. "Or skilled you are." He looked to Goofy. "All that matters... Is that desire to protect others, no matter what." James closed his eyes. Suddenly, the pedestal he was sitting on glowed. Shocked, James jumped off, watching what was happening. The pedestal disappeared, revealing the Keyhole. James smiled, summoning the Keyblade as, once more, the heart-shaped symbol appeared below him and the world became naught but a dusk sky. The keyblade glowed as a tendril of light connected it to the Keyhole that had appeared. Then, everything was as it was. The pedestal had reappeared, covering the place where the Keyhole had been.

"Well... that was bizarre," James muttered. 'Why did the Keyhole reveal itself this early?'

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: None.)**

* * *

"Why? Why did you release Cerberus? Cloud almost had him!" 

"Like I said: Accidents happen." Hades was nonchalant, even knowing what it was that was standing before his throne in the Underworld.

"That was no accident." The voice accused.

"I have my reasons. Now, shoo. get out of here, before I change my mind about you." Hades waved his hand dismissively.

"... Fine. I'll consider this an accident, but don't let it happen again..." The creature was enveloped in a portal of darkness. Hades shook his head, a smile reaching his face.

"Heh... Quite the enemies you've picked up, replacement."

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. In the Gummi Garage of Olympus)**

* * *

I walked up to Cloud, ignoring the protests of my friends. 

"Hey, you ok?" The vistim of a thousand yaoi fans looked at me, eyes widening.

"... You... Watch your step, kid. There are people out there who would, given the chance, take the power you hold now."

"I know, but I won't let them. There are people I'm searching for... People I won't stop fighting until I find."

"Are they... these people... are they your light?"

"... Yeah." Cloud got up, and threw something to me. I looked at the small gem that was in my palm. When I held it, I could feel a pulse of energy. This gem was... Sonic Blade...

"Don't lose sight of them." Cloud walked to his Gummi Ship, which promptly left, moving much faster than our ship could. I waved to him.

"Good luck, Cloud!" I smiled as I walked back to the Gummi Ship... Two Keyholes down...

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Wilson, Caleb. Inside the gummi ship, _Oathkeeper_.)**

* * *

"Finally... we're almost there," Mark grinned. 

"Yeah, and it looks like we've got a welcoming party!" Caleb growled, glaring at the swarms of Heartless ships. "Everyone, battle positions!" The Oathkeeper fired off several rounds at the ships, destroying a few. However, Caleb was tired from so much flying, and he only dodged sluggishly.

"There's too many!" Holly said, Chewbacca strangely silent. Holly looked at the dog, which was looking out another window. "Chewie?" She looked out the same window and gasped. "Hey, there's someone else fighting, too!" Everyone took note of a peculiar Gummi Ship flying circles around the Heartless ships, blasting them to bits.

"Hey, that's a Kingdom Model! That could only be Sora's ship!" Renewed with confidence, the two ships plowed through the swarm, and then headed thier seperate ways. The Kingdom flew towards Deep Jungle, while the Oathkeeper flew to Olympus. Chewbacca gave a howl, as though he yearned desprately to go after the other ship.

"Good luck, Sora..."

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Donald, Goofy. Aboard the Gummi Ship, Fenrir)**

* * *

James looked at the ship flying in the distance. 

"Well... It looks like we're not the only ones fighting... I hope I get to meet those people someday, and thank them. I don't think we'd have got through alone..." James closed his eyes, taking a small snooze...

* * *

"Heh, there's a close encounter..." 

Riku: "Are you ever going to reveal who that stupid bad guy is?"

"No, but I challenge anyone who reads to PM me if they think they know who it is. I'll hand out a private cookie to you if you figure it out. Next chapter is Tarzan! Sweet..."


	11. Saber, DANGER!

Oh no, not another one!

By James the Fox

"It's back…"

Sora: "No… Not this stupid one."

"Oh, shut up. You just don't like it because the story starts with you dying."

Shadow: "… Well, get on with it."

Manaphy: "Bada!"

"Okay… On to the Fic!"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Goofy, Donald. Location: _Fenrir_)**

"… Okay, then… About a week and a half, and we've searched two worlds…" James muttered as he drew on a piece of paper. He drew, to the best of his ability, his old family. He looked at the picture, and saw his parents standing behind their children. From right to left, he drew his sister and brother, both with red hair (though he had no colors to show this) and himself. Mark was leaning on a hockey stick and grinning, making 'bunny ears' on his brother's head, while Holland was just looking away from the two, an annoyed expression showing everywhere except on her mouth, where a small smile was emerging. James himself was drawn as he was then, and looked very much annoyed to be in the picture. James sighed.

Even when he was drawing himself, he never was happy to be in a picture.

"Who're they?" James jumped, startled, and looked at Goofy.

"Jeez, Goofy! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh, sorry! I was just interested in what you were drawing." He gave the page an once-over. "Well, whoever they are, they sure are drawn well."

"… They were friends of mine."

"Were?"

"Well… A while back, I lost contact with them. It was shortly before the destruction of Destiny Islands…" James looked at them again. It was odd… something about the picture seemed… off. He looked again. He hadn't thought of it before, but… aside from the self portrait, they seemed less detailed than his usual drawings…

Like he was starting to forget how they looked. He was startled at the revelation, and tried to get his mind off it by thinking of what was on his schedule… He suddenly remembered something he had been planning to do since day one of their journey together. He glanced at Goofy.

"Hey, Goofy… Do you have a kid? You sorta seem like the type of guy who has experience with kids."

"Oh!" Goofy smiled. "Of course I have a kid. My son, Max. He's currently in the training academy for warriors. He's making good grades so far…" Goofy leaned into James ear in a conspiring manner. "But he sometimes has a bit of an issue following orders… Then again... whenever he does, it usually turns out that whatever he plans accomplishes the same purpose, and with less downsides." He chuckled.

"Sounds like a good kid." James said, looking out into the stars. "Hey, by the by… Is Goofy your real name?" He raised an eyebrow. This was something he had wanted to know for ages, and here was his chance. "I mean, no offense, but Goofy sounds kinda like a nickname, not really a name one would give their kid…"

"None taken!" Goofy replied, hitting James on the back enthusiastically as he laughed. "No, but I really prefer being called Goofy. My real name is George. George G. Geef."

"George, huh?" James muttered. 'I can't believe it. He really DOES have a real name that's sounds like a real name… And to think that he trusts me that much, as to tell me that… even after I've given him and Donald every reason to hate me!' "Well, that's really interesting!" He closed his eyes. 'George G. Geef, Captain of the Guard… Goofy, father of Max… The eternal friend of Sora, Keyblade Master.'

"Hey, look!" Donald squawked. James jumped from his chair and stood next to Donald. Goofy followed, but a bit more slowly.

"Looks to me like another world." James said, looking at Deep Jungle. 'Here we go… I'm going to regret saying this, but…' "Maybe Kairi, Riku, or the King are on it…" He waited for Donald's reply.

"On a ratty, backwater world like that? No way!"

'Of course… He's sounds just as bad as Jafar...' "Then again… My world was kinda like that, too, and look at who popped out of it?" He gestured to himself, summoning the Keyblade as he did. "Think… Maybe there are worlds like that so that people stay away from them and whatever secrets they hold… Maybe the King realizes this, and came here to investigate."

"Nope. Even if he came here, he's probably left by now, anyway."

"Well, what about Riku and Kairi?" James was starting to get annoyed, and his tone showed that. "You guys promised to help me find them, right?"

"Aw, Phooey!" Donald grumbled, dismissing the boy. James' eye twitched in annoyance.

'Darned duck! We have to go there, sooner or later, or we'll be stuck in this little part of the Multiverse!' He groaned as he thought this.

"Uh, Donald… We did promise," Goofy volunteered.

'Well, at least I have _some_ backup!' James mentally cheered.

_'Hey, James, would you mind thinking a little quieter? I'm trying to sleep!'_ Volt grumbled. Meanwhile, the argument was starting to heat up, and finally, James had had enough. He seized the controls and maneuvered the ship towards Deep Jungle. However, though the controls were familiar looking (They looked like PS2 controls, for crying out loud!) the actual CONTROLS were different, and James found the ship spiraling out of control…

* * *

**(3rd person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Caleb, Mark, Wilson. Location: Olympus Coliseum, Courtyard.)**

"Well, we're here…" Mark muttered as he stepped onto the field. He looked forward and saw someone walking up to them. His blue skin tipped Mark off, and he drew his scythe, prompting the others to do the same. "You… What do you want?!" Hades slicked back his hair, and smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. I was just looking at the replacement's old buddies. Heh, not what I expected when I heard they were supposed to help the Keybearer save the world…"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Caleb asked, pointing his gun at the Lord of the Underworld.

"Oh, you'll see, sooner or later… But at any rate, I bet you're hunting for Cloud. Under Yen Sid's advice, I take it." He shrugged. "He always was a manipulative old coot... No better than his little students..."

"Heh, the pot's calling the kettle black, huh?" Wilson grinned, cracking his knuckles. "So where is Cloud, then? Mark said that you're using him as a pawn in your little game, right?" Mark nodded in reply.

"… Sorry, kiddies. Cloud is gone on a permanent leave. He has his own motivations pushing him along, and I'm not a part of them. But, I _could_ tell you where he is… However… Are you sure you want to find out?"

"What are you babbling about? We won't play any of your games!" Holly and Chewbacca growled in stereo.

"Ah, but there's no game… I was just thinking… There might be someone else you want to see… After all, I am the King of the Underworld, the Lord of the _Dead_… I understand that you recently lost a certain someone…" His grin grew wider as the group collectively realized what he was talking about.

"James…" Holly said.

"Yeah," Hades disappeared and reappeared at Holly's side, leaning on her shoulder like he would a close friend. "And I can only help you find one of them, and there's no way you'll be able to see both of them... So, what's it gonna be: Cloud, or your dear, departed friend and brother?"

Holly glared at the Greek God, and Chewbacca looked as though he was considering biting Hades' leg. However, they knew that they were currently on his good side, and they didn't want to get off it. They could only choose one…

"I… I…" Mark looked in utter distress. He hadn't ever been forced into a choice like this, where lives could depend on his choice…

"We choose Cloud." Mark and Holly turned at once, completely shocked and betrayed by Caleb and Wilson, who was nodding in agreement.

"What?" Mark queried, outraged at this.

"Caleb's right… James is important, but… we have to move on. Sora needs our help, and I'm pretty sure that, even with James' help, we wouldn't be able to help. I mean, he may know everything there is to know about this story, but he's never exactly trained in Weaponry or Magic, has he? James probably wouldn't like us throwing away this chance, even in exchange for his life." Wilson reasoned.

"But James knows the story inside and out! He… he'd be able to find Cloud, even without Hades' help! And then he-" Holly started.

Wilson sighed. "Are we so sure? James probably didn't know about Dusk City, after all. I know we regret not having him with us, but… Bringing him back will have to wait. Once we get what we need, we'll come back. I'm no expert on Kingdom Hearts, but I've seen Hercules enough to know that Hades is always wiling to make a deal." Mark was about to protest, but suddenly he felt his sister's hand on his solder. She shook her head, a tear forming in her eye.

"They have a point, Mark… We have to think this through. We can't be certain that James knows where Cloud is right now."

"Good, good," Hades said. 'Damn, that was close… If they had told me they wanted James… That would make things plenty complicated. Don't want that, do we?' "Alright then… If you want to see Mr. Head-in-the-Clouds, You'll take this Navi-Gummi to somebody who can install it on your vessel. It will guide you to the world you need to go to." He handed a small lump of dark blue material to Caleb. "I do warn you, though… The trip will take a while, and you will encounter very powerful heartless ships. You'll want a strong ship… Bye now!" Hades disappeared in a puff of smoke. Chewbacca growled at the place had stood.

"… You think we can trust him?" Holly asked.

"No choice. We have to find Cloud, and this is the only lead we have." After thinking for a moment, they nodded, and left the world. As they left, Hades smirked from behind a pedestal.

"Heh… Seems you've got yourself quite the friends, too, Replacement." He laughed.

* * *

**(1st Person POV. Party: James. Location: Deep Jungle, the Tree-House.)**

"Ugh… Man, Donald's gonna hate me… Just wonderful… I was trying to avoid that problem, and it happens anyway… Wonderful…" I groaned as I got to my feet, letting a small cry out of my lips after I noticed a large cut in my side, penetrating the jacket I had gotten from Cid. I unzipped the jacket, took it off, and tied it around my waist, covering the wound, and groaned in aggravation as I realized that I had never replaced the green shirt that was torn up, instead opting to cover it with the jacket that was now proving to be a burden in this hot, tropical area. "Well… this sucks." I suddenly heard a purring sound and the sound of feet against wood and, not at all surprised, summoned the Keyblade as I spun to face the jungle cat that stalked me. I smirked, putting the Keyblade into its now-familiar position. "I may be hurt… But that doesn't mean I'll let you beat me!" I moved into a guard stance, blocking the Jaguar's claws. I activated the Fire Magic inside me, and blew the cat away with a dome of flames. It got up, and jumped at me while I charged up my blizzard spell. At the very last second, I released the small chunk of ice from the tip of the blade, firing it at the big cat. This time, it stayed down, though I kept my distance, knowing all too well the cliché 'bad guy comes back for one last scare' trick. Just as he was about to head out of the building, the creature got up and charged. I spun to dodge, but was hit into the wall, with the Keyblade thrown several meters away. After regaining my senses, I realized that, as he had in canon, Tarzan had arrived to help out. After a brief struggle, the Saber ran away. Tarzan walked up to me, inspecting the claw wound on my chest.

"Saber, danger." I looked down at the ape-man who had recognized my wounds as not life-threatening.

"… So, um… I am James." I pointed to myself to emphasize my point. "James… You are…?" I pointed to Tarzan as I asked my question.

"Me Tarzan."

"Okay… So, uh… I am looking for my friends, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

"Friends?"

"Yes, friends. Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi." For a moment, I thought I saw Kairi behind him, but I knew it was a trick of my heart.

"Friends here."

"Really?" I asked, although I already knew the answer. "Where?"

"_$#&X_. Friends here." Tarzan grunted.

"Really. Okay, then, lead the way!" Tarzan left, and I quickly followed. Hopefully, Donald wasn't too mad...

* * *

**(Unknown POV. Party: Unknown. Location: Dusk City)**

The figure cloaked in darkness walked among the ruble that was Dusk City.

"Hmph. Dusk City…" The figure walked up to the door. "Where the deepest reaches of the Dark Realm, deeper even than Kingdom Hearts, reside… Where trash always ends up. 'We must return to free them from their torment.'" The figure laughed. "Truly, what a foolish thought. To think that one could free _them_ from their torment… Laughable." He turned his back on the door. "Only they can free themselves from the bonds of fate, and they have forgotten their hopes of freedom, and are trapped forever, spiraling in their memories." He clenched his fist, and smirked. "No, I will not be like them. I will be free… I will avenge…" He disappeared, leaving naught but the chill that had developed in the air.

* * *

"Yeah… I kinda threw in that quote from KH: Coded. Why? Because it fit. The depths of Darkness… It is there that many things will happen in this story. What will happen? Who knows, save for me? And who the HELL is this freaky dark guy? Again, I know but you don't! However, I have dropped a few miniscule hints. Heh heh…" 


	12. A Stealthy Striker

Oh No, Not another One!

By James the Fox

"Are you ready… to BRAWL?"

Sora: "You may be, but the American Release isn't."

"… Shut up, you're ruining my delusions of laying the smackdown on the Master Hand as Sonic, or maybe PKMN Trainer…"

Link: "You could pick me."

"No… Not you. Sure, I played you in Melee, but it was your young self. I can't take playing you as your older self…"

Sonic: "You're too slow!"

"Oh, and Sonic… Just because I'm thinking of playing as you, doesn't mean I think you're the coolest. I'm still holding out a vague hope that Tails is playable in the next Smash Brothers, whenever that comes out…"

Sonic: (Looking dejected)

"… That won't work on me."

Sonic: (Devastated)

"……… Okay, you're… kinda cool. But only kinda. Anyway… FALCON UPDATE!"

Sora: "Show your moves!"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Donald, Goofy. Location???)**

"Where are we?" Goofy asked, though there was noone nearby who knew the answer. "Gwarsh… I hope James is alright…" Goofy hung his head as he and his partner sat in the middle of a clearing surrounded by bamboo.

"Aw, who needs him?" Donald grumbled, still furious. "We can find the king without him. Besides, he'd probably slow us down, making us go to worlds like this…" The court wizard was, indeed, annoyed. What on earth made that brat think he could just swoop in and grab the controls like that, anyway?

"Gosh, Donald, you don't have to be so hard on him…" Goofy rebuked his friend. "After all, he was kinda in the right."

"Eh?"

"Whether we thought there was a chance of finding them or not, James came along with us because we said we'd help him find his friends. We can't just go back on that, right?"

"Hmph!" Donald closed his eyes, stubbornly crossing his arms.

Goofy sighed, starting to be annoyed with his comrade's behavior. He was a VERY patient person, and that was a good thing, considering his longtime partner's tendencies. Nearly opposite to each other, one person's strengths canceled out the other's weaknesses.

But where did James fit into that? The goof sighed, pulling his brain back into overdrive for the umpteenth time since meeting James. The boy had good skills in combat, especially for his age. He was also apparently fairly talented in other things, if his drawing was any indication. He even seemingly had some kind of sixth sense that allowed him to see what kind of abilities his opponents had… Was that just a power the Keyblade had, or was it something else? Goofy chalked that up to 'study/ask about later.'

On the other hand, James was also secretive at times, constantly hiding things that he declared as 'none of your business… at least for now.' He was also extremely overconfident at times. Goofy remembered their battle with Cloud. James had said that he had known all along Cloud had had that attack, yet hadn't expected Cloud to use it? What kind of thinking was that? Goofy brought to mind one of the rules he had memorized from his Adventurer's Guide: "Never underestimate your foe. If you have gathered intelligence of a person's skills, fight with the expectation that the foe was going at his best, exceeding the skills you know of." James had good judgment in some cases, but none in others. In general, he exhibited attitudes similar both to greenhorns and skilled veterans. Goofy clutched his head, annoyed. There was just too little information for him to wrap himself around…

Goofy was snapped out of his thoughts by a shocked squawk from Donald who was face to face with a large ape. Goofy watched the simian run away, dropping a small, familiar-looking block as he went. Goofy picked it up.

"It looks like… a Gummi Block!" Goofy gasped as he continued. "But it looks different from what we used for our ship…" Donald looked up at that.

"Then that could mean…" Donald looked at Goofy, absolutely embarrassed. "James was right. The King might have been here…"

Goofy smiled good-naturedly. "Now that we've got that sorted out, we should go find him. If we're lucky, we might find the King, too!" He gave a signature "H-yuck!" and left on a path to the deeper parts of the forest, Donald following.

A few minutes later, another person came out of the bamboo forest, barely missing the group that had been there only minutes before…

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Wilson, Caleb. Location: _Oathkeeper_)**

"James…" Holly muttered to herself for the two THOUSANDTH time since they left Olympus Coliseum (Caleb had been keeping count). She was very torn up about the choice they had made. On one hand, she knew that was the choice that needed to be made 'For the greater good.'

Damn, how she HATED that phrase! Ever since reading Dumbledore-bashing fanfiction, she had grown to detest the phrase Dumbledore had used so often to justify his actions. And yet, here she was, using it! It made her want to rip her own guts out.

On her other hand, she just _knew,_ somehow, that James would be able to find Cloud, despite what Hades had said. He _was_ the best at the game, so of course he'd know where Cloud would go…

She sighed again. Was she really so sure? James was good, but he wasn't able to read minds. From what Mark said, Cloud had never left Olympus in the game, except after the game was over… Still, she hated choices like this, which always left her wondering, 'What if I had chosen the other path?'

A headache was coming on, so Holly stopped her thinking, which was currently running around in circles, and went to sleep.

However, images of a ghostly James floating around her head, screaming "WHY?" to her over and over again kept her from having the best sleep…

"We're here," Mark said, looking at the unmistakable visage of Traverse Town. Holly awoke, and as they neared the world, they suddenly found themselves at the front gate of the town's first district. The youngest in the group walked purposefully to the Equipment Shop in the center of the district, his friends following him. As they stepped in, they saw a old blond man behind the counter, reading an obviously dirty magazine. Holly cringed, resisting her first impulse to pound the man into paste.

The old man looked up from his magazine, and upon seeing the kids, swore and hastily stowed the reading material into a pocket in his jacket. "Er… Can I help you runts?" Cid said, obviously annoyed at the interruption.

"We'd like an upgrade to our ship's navigation system," Wilson said as though having just seen the perverted material was nothing major. "We have the pieces we need, but we don't have the know-how to install them."

"Hah! What use would you have for something like that?"

"We're trying to get somewhere, and we need this upgrade to figure out exactly WHERE the place we seek is…" Mark said, a slight blush still on his face. "So, are you gonna help us, or what?"

Cid grumbled incoherently. "How much munny do you have?"

"Uh… Well…" Mark was embarrassed. Of COURSE he wasn't going to give it to them for free! They didn't have hero status like Sora did, after all… "We'll be back. How much do we need?" Mark asked.

Cid shrugged. "About five thousand munny."

"WHAT!?" came the collective voices, along with an indignant bark. That… That would take FOREVER! They didn't have that kind of time!

"Sorry, but that is really hard. Feel lucky, kids, because if you didn't already have the parts, this would be about twenty thousand munny."

Mark sighed. "Well, we had best get a move on… We've got to get that munny…"

Cid called to them before they left the building. "Hey! If it's munny you're looking for, try the Help Wanted board to the right of the Gate. I just wouldn't recommend the errands that take you out of the First District unless you've got some fighting skills good against the Heartless!" Mark turned around and thanked the man, leaving for the Gate as he did. As they left, Cid grinned as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Tarzan. Location: Deep Jungle)**

It had taken MUCH longer to get through the jungle than in the game. HOURS longer, in fact. However, James was willing to forgive. Especially with what he was doing now.

James laughed with glee as he slid down the trees alongside Tarzan. "This is AWESOME!" he shouted, having the time of his life… until he hit a branch.

"_Nice move, dumbass,"_ Volt said, laughing his butt off at James' expense.

'Oh, shut it,' James replied before gasping in pain. He looked down, seeing that his wound had only gotten worse from moving around. What's worse, he didn't have any potions on him, having used the last of the one's he had to heal from Cloud's near-fatal attack.

"C-crap…" He said, falling into unconsciousness as Tarzan jumped to his aid.

* * *

When he awoke, he found himself in a tent that was vaguely familiar to him… Deep Jungle… Jane's Camp! He got up, cringing from the wound on his side. He looked at it (taking note with a blush that he was now in naught but his underwear), seeing that it was bandaged up. He noted that the cloth below him, serving as a makeshift bed, had a good splotch of red on it. He shivered at the thought, and walked outside, noticing three figures: Jane, Tarzan… and Clayton. James felt a desire to kill the man right where he stood, and was ready to do so… Except that he was wounded, had no clothing save for underwear, and was planning to face a guy with a shotgun. Sure, the Keyblade was good, but he couldn't block a bullet to the head. So instead, he looked about, seeing his clothing hanging on a clothesline. Sighing with relief, he took his shorts, gloves,(which were still wet, unfortunately) and gloves, and proceeded to walk to the small group. Jane was the first to notice him, and greeted him kindly, offering him a seat.

"So, then, Tarzan tells me that your name is James, right?"

"Yeah." James replied. "Hey, by the way… you wouldn't happen to have seen two people somewhere in this forest? The short one who looks like a duck is Donald, and the tall, clumsy one is Goofy. I need to find them. I also think some other friends of mine, Riku and Kairi, are here, too…"

"Well, James, we have yet to see anyone like that, and you aren't going out there until your wound is healed completely. So you need to rest."

"&?&X. You find friends there," Tarzan advised, and though James already knew what he was saying, he pretended he didn't, sparking the flame that would lead to the Keyhole. Instead, he was thinking of Jane's answer.

'Crap. Not the answer I was looking for. I REALLY need to learn Cure.' "That's fine. Could you go search for them? They can't be too far…"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Donald, Goofy. Location: Deep Jungle)**

The duo walked up to the tree house, staring at it in awe.

"Amazing…" Donald murmured, as though speaking too loudly would cause it to explode into a thousand little pieces.

"Yeah…" Goofy said with equal silence, walking in and looking about until he suddenly found something that caught his eye. "Donald!" He called in shock, bringing the duck to him. Right below a large hole in the ceiling, there was a small pile of rubble. However, that itself wasn't the major detail. Among the rubble were little dabs of blood.

Fresh blood.

"You don't think…" Goofy asked his friend.

"James must have not had the best landing of the three of us, huh?" Donald asked rhetorically. He then noticed small dabs of blood leading out of the tree house. "Well, at least he's still alive enough to walk about…"

"We should follow his path, Donald! He might need us!" Goofy said and, without waiting for Donald's reply, followed the path. Donald sighed before following.

They followed for a few hours, finding that they had passed by his path before, not noticing. But now, they feared, for as they followed the trail, the splotches of blood got bigger and bigger. Then, on a large branch, after a smaller branch, the blood had gotten really bad. They continued on the path, eventually jumping down into the middle of a campground.

"Hm?" They jumped as they heard a voice behind them, facing a young brown-haired woman. "Wait a moment," She said, looking at the two of them closely. "I take it that you two are Donald and Goofy, right?" The two nodded dumbly. "Oh! Good to see you! I just sent a group to find you. James was pretty worried about you two…"

"Wait, you saw James?" Goofy exclaimed in disbelief. "Is he alright? We saw a trail of blood, and it led us here, and…"

"He's alright, given his condition. He has a pretty bad cut on his side, but he still was able to wake up and walk about for a while until we made him go back to sleep."

Goofy sighed in relief, and while Donald seemed to partially relax.

"Oh, I'll get him for making us worry about him like that!" Donald squawked, temper starting to rise.

"Not until he's better!" Jane protested, but the duck had already barged into the tent.

Several loud rumblings occurred, and Donald flew out of the tent. James walked out, Keyblade out and ready for battle.

"Donald, if you're going to just barge in on me while I've still got a wound, you could at least give me a Potion or something first."

Donald blushed in embarrassment a little before raising his staff. "Cure!" At once, the spell took effect, and James' wound was nothing more than a memory. The boy jumped up, spinning the Keyblade in joy before plunging it into the ground and standing on it.

"Alright!" James grinned before jumping off of his weapon. "So… Now what, guys?" He already knew of the Gummi Piece they must have found, and was ready.

"We found a Gummi Block, James…" Goofy said, looking at James as he presented the piece. "However, it's not the kind we used in building our ship, so…"

"It might belong to the King," Donald finished. "We're going to look about and hopefully find a hint of where the King might have gone after being here."

"What about our ship?" James asked.

"Don't worry bout that!" Donald grinned. "It's obviously got to be at the Gummi Garage. It always ends up there."

"Oh! Okay…" James rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 'That's how it works... I guess the ship autopilots itself to the Garage.' "So, who's up for a little exploring?"

* * *

**(Party Change: James, Donald, Goofy, Tarzan)**

Exploring, unfortunately, wasn't particularly invigorating. The next few days were spent hunting for clues, raiding the chests that were about, and various other not-very-fun things. James almost wished that Heartless were about.

However, to him, the most annoying thing was his wardrobe. His shirt was in tatters, ripped beyond repair, and Cid's jacket was way too warm for this weather. So, James had no choice but to take one of CLAYTON'S shirts. Not only were they too big for him, but he hated wearing the clothing of his foe. Not at all nice.

However, eventually, things heated up, and the Heartless made their presence known, Clayton vanishing only a few minutes beforehand. James was quick to find and rescue the captured apes, and was rewarded just as quickly with Gummi Blocks (Seriously, where did they GET these things?). Almost immediately afterwards, Jane and one of the younger apes, Turk, were captured. James, Tarzan, and Goofy made quick work of the fruit, reducing it to nothing in minutes. Jane, once freed, told them of Clayton, who was attempting to capture and kill the Gorillas. As the quartet of heroes rushed to where Clayton was, James attempted to get Donald to do something for him.

"I need to learn that healing spell. I'd rather not be in the situation I was in when we arrived, eh? No healing Items, no one who could heal me, you know."

"Sure, James," Donald replied. "After this is over, I'll teach ya."

"Thanks," James concluded the conversation just before reaching Clayton, who was just about to fire his gun. He took out the Keyblade, started glowing as he activated Sonic Blade…

…And vanished in a blur of speed. James instantly reappeared above Clayton, diving in a crouching stance, Keyblade suddenly longer, before the man even knew what was coming. James landed on the Hunter-turned-Heartless, stabbing as he did, and vanished again. He appeared once more, repeating the cycle from a different angle, shining brighter every time. Upon the fifth time, James was engulfed in light as he screamed:

"Dragoon Dive!" He dived one last time, piercing the man from directly above before jumping to the ground behind the hunter. Clayton fell to his knees, several holes in him, all of which oozing with darkness.

'That tears it… He's no longer human,' James concluded as the Heartless stood once more, and a wall busted into rubble, all seemingly from nothing. James looked carefully, noting the blur that was the Stealth Sneak. Clayton, fully healed, jumped up to ride the chameleon-like Heartless, a feat that was both nearly impossible, and gave the Heartless' position away. The melee fighters charged while Donald stayed out of harm's way, pelting the monsters with Thunder and healing the fighters with Cure. James jumped back after Stealth Sneak landed a heavy blast of energy on him and summoned Volt, who instantly rushed into the fray. After being healed by Donald, James went after him, the duo scoring several hits. Finally, James jumped off of Tarzan's spear and threw the Pikachu at Clayton.

Volt grinned as he clung to Clayton's face. "Cha pika, chuka, chuka pichu, ka cha pi pik a ka…" (_"Don't worry, you poor, poor bastard, this won't hurt me at all_…") "PIKA KACHUPI, CHU!" (_"THUNDAJA TO THE FACE, BITCH!"_)

As a tremendous lightshow of over the top violence began, James looked at the others. "I think Volt likes hurting people WAY too much. Actually, though, he kinda reminds me of an old friend…"

* * *

**(3rd Person POV. Party: Wilson. Location: Traverse Town)**

As he was busy cleaning the attic of the Moogle's Synthesis Shop, Wilson suddenly sneezed.

"Man, must be all this dust…"

**

* * *

(3rd Person POV. Party: James, Volt, Donald, Goofy, Tarzan. Location: Deep Jungle)**

Volt jumped off of Clayton's face, and the burnt-to-a-crisp hunter fell from his perch, paralyzed. The Chameleon was in a similar state, and fell as well, landing right on top of Clayton, and they both vanished in bursts of darkness.

James sighed as he walked to where they stood. "Really unfortunate, the things people do in greed…"

Just then, he suddenly found himself flying into the air at high speeds before landing on a ledge he could have simply CLIMBED! Stupid Kerchak…

After his friends found themselves similarly hurled through the air, James followed Tarzan into the caves, until the group finally came across the Keyhole. James pulled out the Keyblade, feeling called by the Keyhole, and in the same sequence that had happened in Olympus and Wonderland occurred here as well. James put away the Keyblade afterwards, picking up the small Gummi and Keychain that came out of it. He smirked inwardly. With this Gummi and the one they had found in Wonderland… The group was finally able to go deeper into the worlds. That is, once Cid installed it.

"&?&X. Find friends there," Tarzan repeated.

"Hm?" Donald looked the ape-man, and James 'suddenly' perked up in realization.

"Heart. &?&X is gorilla for 'Heart.' Friends in our heart…" James smiled. "Pretty sappy, but I can understand that sentiment…" He closed his eyes, remembering, fully this time, his old family and friends. 'Though I may never see you again, I'll never forget you completely…'

Tarzan nodded. "Friends… Same heart. Clayton lose heart. No heart, no see friends. No heart… No friends."

Donald bowed his head. "James… I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I forgave you long ago, silly goose!" James said with a wink. Everyone laughed as this prompted Donald to chase James about with thunder spells. But all knew that this was only temporary anger, simple playing around between friends…

Save maybe for Donald, that last Thunder spell looked like it would have hurt…

* * *

James smirked, wearing Cid's jacket open, revealing his bare chest (He couldn't bear to wear Clayton's shirt anymore, and his shirt was _way_ out of the picture.), as he attached the Jungle King to the Keyblade. At once, the Keyblade transformed into a form made out of wood. It was longer than the Kingdom Key variation, and was, despite its appearance, stronger, the Key itself being a bit sharper than the Kingdom Key. He then ran to catch up with Donald and Goofy, who were already in the Gummi Garage.

"So, what now?" James asked as they sat in their ship.

"YOU GET HELL, THAT'S WHAT!" Cried two very annoyed, very high voices as James was pummeled by two little balls of fur. James quickly found himself overwhelmed, and it took the combined forces of Donald and Goofy to get Chip and Dale off of James. As they did, Donald laughed at a rather bruised James.

"Well, anyway…" James said as Donald cast Cure on him.

"That's odd…" Goofy muttered. "There don't seem to be any worlds beyond here…"

"Maybe we should check with Leon and the others…" James quipped.

"Yeah," Donald agreed. With that, the ship left the Gummi port and flew to Traverse Town…

* * *

Shortly into the ride, Donald decided to begin teaching James Cure.

"… you just need to focus your magic like so, and think of healing. Try it!" Donald finished his long explanation, and James took the Keyblade and thrust it into the air, calling the words:

"Cure!"

…

"Uh… Cure!"

…

"Cure! Cure! Cure?"

Donald sighed. This might take a while…

* * *

"Well, there you have it. Deep Jungle is now dealt with. Now, what happens next, you ask? Well, next chapter has a return to Traverse Town, a small revelation, a new summon, and James' attempts to save an 'old' friend from the darkness…"Riku: "In other words, you're going to do much of the same old same old." 

"Maybe. Bwahahaha! Until then, though, see you next update!"


	13. We are Siamese, If you Please

Oh No, Not another One!

By James the Fox

"Anybody else go to Comic-Con? I did, and I'll tell you something: I am converted to the fandom of Heroes now. Thank the first episode of the third season they showed us. We're sworn to secrecy concerning what happens, but I'll be the first to say that it rocks. Big time."

"Besides that, there's a lot on both Holly and James' side of the story, and I tried to get to where I had promised I would. I sincerely did, and it took a whopping 21 pages before I was so sick of writing this chapter that I cut it off at a cliffhanger. Anyway, on to the Fic!"

* * *

**(3****rd**** Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca/Pongo/Perdita. Location: Traverse Town)**

Holly loved dogs. She'd be the first to admit it. She absolutely adored them.

However, there came a point when there was too much of a good thing. This was one of those times.

It seemed like an okay job at first. The Dalmatians mostly dozed in front of the T.V., or played around all over the house, without wrecking anything. She was merely the babysitter to make sure they stayed that way.

Then THEY appeared. Those never-sufficiently-cursed Siamese cats came in and started to taunt the dogs. In reaction those pups stampeded after the felines.

99 Dalmatian pups. Gone. Just like that.

Holly was currently scouring the town alongside Chewbacca and the Dalmatian's parents, collecting the pups while fighting off the Heartless. She had to say, Pongo and Perdita were dead useful in tracking down their children. She could only assume they had had plenty of practice finding them…

It helped that Caleb, Mark, and Wilson had all joined in the hunt in different parts of the town.

Collectively, they'd retrieved about 82 of the pups already, Holly having found 65 of them in a house in the Third District, giving those demon cats what-for, though the felines had fled the moment Holly had walked in. Seven had apparently lost their way, and were found all over the First District. It was lucky for Holly that none had been found by her employers, who were at the local café.

Mark found three being terrified by a Shadow Heartless in the Third District, but that was quickly ended by Mark's scythe chopping off the Heartless' antenna, causing it to beat a hasty retreat.

Wilson and Caleb had found four huddling in a corner in the Second District, and on the way to return them, had found three more scratching at the door front door of their home, unable to enter through the window they had exited. Now, only 17 remained.

However, there were only ten minutes until their owners returned and noted the absence of those dogs.

"… Hey, Mark!" Holly ran over to her brother. He was currently holding another pup, which yipped happily upon sighting his "parents."

"I'm just taking this one back, but after that, I thought that I'd check Merlin's House, if I can get in…" Holly nodded.

"Where's that?"

"At the Third District. Caleb and Wilson should already be there…"

Holly agreed, and dashed for the Third District. Caleb and Wilson were, indeed, already there, and were talking about a very important subject.

"Okay, so… How the hell do we open this door?" Wilson asked.

"No clue," Caleb replied.

"Fire," Mark said, running to the door, carrying something. "We need a fire to open the door. Luckily, I happen to have one right here." Mark revealed a candle from the Café in the First District. When Holly gave him a look, Mark glared back. "What? I'm going to give it back!" He put the lit candle up against the door, and the door glowed in response before opening. Holly and the group ran in.

**

* * *

**

(Party Change: Holly/Chewbacca/Pongo/Perdita, Mark, Wilson, Caleb)

* * *

There, they saw the remaining 16 puppies on the island in the middle of the lake, huddled together in fear of the two Siamese Cats, which now glowed with dark energy.

"So, they were Heartless?" Holly asked as Pongo growled menacingly.

"I don't think so… If they'd been Heartless all along, they would have attacked the pups instead of taunting them. I think they were taken while fleeing from the Dalmatian Pups." Caleb unsheathed his saber, thankful for the plenty of practice he had gained facing weaker Heartless.

The cats hissed, and the many stones that formed the path to Merlin's House started to move in a circular motion around the circumference of the lake at varying speeds and directions, some moving clockwise while the others moved counterclockwise.

"Okay, this sucks. Sora didn't have to face anything like this as HIS first boss!" Mark spun his scythe around and jumped onto one of the platforms, carefully making his way across the lake.

Wilson jumped as well, but the weight of his weapon proved to make it hard for him to jump across, and he knew that if he fell in the water, there was little chance of his ball and chain coming out. Therefore, he stayed on the first moving rock and started spinning his weapon over his head, aiming to maul his feline foes.

Holly quickly moved from one platform to the next, aiming to reach the pups and keep them safe from the Siamese Cats.

Caleb fired a shot from his gun, hitting one of the cats. To his surprise, it stood up again quite easily, and charged at him, speeding across the water…

Right into the reach of Wilson's Ball-and-Chain. The weapon smashed into the ball of fur, sending it crashing into a wall a good distance away from Caleb. However, immediately afterwards, Wilson grunted painfully, and grasped his right shoulder, which had been bitten into by the other feline. He glared at his foe, which gave him a devilish grin before being caught by Mark's scythe.

Mark jerked the scythe upward, sending the cat into the air. As soon as it landed, Mark moved his scythe in a manner not at all unlike a hockey slapshot, sending the cat rocketing into its companion, which was just recovering from Wilson's attack.

"GOAL!" Mark pumped his fist into the air. "And now, combined with a excellent move by Wilson and an assist by Caleb, it's two-nothing, in the heroes' favor!"

Holly rolled her eyes.

The twins staggered again, and charged at the House, aiming to get what they came for. Holly braced for battle, claws at the ready. However, Pongo and Perdita got to the cats first, biting into them just as they reached the island. They threw the cats to the ground, where they laid limp a while before vanishing.

"Whew…" Holly wiped her brow. "That was close. Let's get these guys back home…"

* * *

"Thanks for taking care of our dogs," Roger, the Dalmatians' owner said as he gave Holly her pay. "I hope they weren't too much trouble…"

"Don't worry, they weren't…" Holly took the munny. "There was a small incident involving a few cats, but it was handled pretty easily. I'd suggest closing that window down to a crack to make sure you don't have unwelcome visitors again…"

"Well, if we ever need help again, we'll be sure to ask for your help first." Roger's wife, Anita, thanked her.

Holly smiled, walking out of the house with the last 700 munny the group needed to get the Navi-G installed. She whistled happily and turned the corner, bumping into an old man in purple robes.

"OMPH!" Holly fell on her behind.

"Sorry… You wouldn't happen to be Holly, would you?" The man helped her up. Holly stared at the man.

Eccentric purple robes…

Half-moon spectacles…

Brown, almost silver beard tucked into a belt…

"YOU!" Holly jumped back, pointing at none other than Albus Dumbledore.

Indeed, it looked like him, though he did seem… younger.

"It seems that my teacher was correct about you. I assume you remember my teacher, Yen Sid?"

**

* * *

**

(Party Change: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Wilson, Caleb)

Holly stood next to her friends and brother at what they had assumed to be Merlin's House. Instead, the house's owner, Dumbledore, stood before them.

"I assume you have the method to find Cloud?" He asked.

"Yeah, we just need to get Cid to install it," Mark replied.

"We just saved up the munny we needed to get it installed." Caleb added.

"I see…" Dumbledore said. "Keep the munny, I can persuade Cid to install the Navi-G. That munny should be used to properly equip yourselves for the trip ahead. Speaking of which, I bring a gift from the three good fairies at Yen Sid's Tower…" He waved his wand, and what appeared to be cloth flew from a bag at his side. The cloth flew about the four, covering them before vanishing, leaving the four in a completely new look.

Holly had her hair tied up in a ponytail held by a dark green ribbon. A top and skirt going down to her knees had arrived in the same color. She wore fingerless gloves that allowed her to have a better grip on her claws, which were attached to a belt on her waist. Her legs were covered by leggings and boots obviously made for travel.

Mark was now wearing black leather shoulder-guards, white chest armor, black back armor with a symbol of a penguin skating with a hockey stick embroidered on the back, and black leg-guards. His hands were covered by large hockey mitts, much to Mark's happiness. Under this, black cloth appeared to be the material of the day, with it covering almost every inch of his body that wasn't covered already. His shoes were about the same, only with their color changed to orange. Overall, he looked very much like a penguin. The scythe was somehow attached to the back of his outfit.

Wilson was wearing a black leather jacket over a blood-red shirt. His pants were black as well. His ball and chain was wrapped around his waist like a belt, with the ball noticeably smaller than when it was before.

Caleb was dressed up with brown denim pants and a white cloth buttoned-up shirt with a brown bandana around his neck. Golden hearts were his cufflinks and the symbol on his belt, which had a holster and sheath on it. Atop his head was a large-rimmed hat. Caleb raised an eyebrow at this and the boots he wore, which had high heels and spurs shaped, again, like hearts.

"I feel like a cowboy. And why hearts?"

"Well, this _is_ Kingdom—"

"Shut it, Penguin-boy." Caleb pointed threateningly at Mark.

"Um, anyway… These come from the Good Fairies, right? So that means they have special powers…" Marks asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "For one, all of them will grow and change as you grow and change, and will transform to suit the world you find yourself on. They also stay clean and repair themselves."

"Well, guess that means we no longer have to argue about who does laundry…" Holly sighed.

"In addition, each has their own unique powers fueled by Drive, the energy absorbed by the clothing over time. All you have to do is will the clothing to activate, and they will." Dumbledore looked at Mark. "For you, the power of Float is available. Activated, the clothing will allow you to slide across any surface, even water and the like, as easily as though you were skating across ice. Float also allows you to glide in the air."

"Okay, I can totally use that," Mark grinned.

"Holly, you now wield Trance. This allows you to awaken the primal instinct within yourself and your pet, increasing your senses of smell and hearing along with your speed. In addition, Trance grants the ability to boost yourself higher up in midair while deflecting attacks."

"I guess that's nice…" Holly petted Chewbacca.

"Caleb, your clothing grants Steedcraft. In this form, you may ride upon any creature and control its actions until you run out of Drive. Steedcraft also grants the ability to speed forward for a split second."

"That sorta explains the whole cowboy look. But still, _hearts_!?" Caleb asked again.

Mark opened his mouth, got a glare, and closed it.

Dumbledore shook his head, and then looked at Wilson. "Your clothing gives you Berserk. You lose access to all magic, but you gain intense strength, regeneration, and speed. Also, Berserk grants the ability to jump higher."

"So, I jump higher, attack faster, do more damage, and heal faster? Flying around is nice, Mark, but I think mine's the best." Wilson smirked.

"The secondary effects of these clothing will, over time, grow stronger, and eventually they will be available without entering the form," Dumbledore stated.

"I figured that much," Mark said.

"Now, I believe we have a machinist to see?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah!" Mark grinned.

**

* * *

****(3rd**** Person POV. Party: James, Donald. Location: Aboard the **_**Fenrir**_**, Kitchen)**

_

* * *

_

Donald Report 93

_1 hour into James' Cure training:_

_I've just finished explaining the mechanics of the spell. James is having no luck casting it. He is extremely sloppy on the motions for the spell._

2 hours into James' Cure training:

_No luck. James is going through all the motions correctly. I will check to see if he is focusing his magic correctly._

* * *

_3 hours into James' Cure training:_

… _Nothing. James is obviously going through all the motions correctly, and even focusing his magic the right way. However, the magic just isn't working. I must check to see if his magical core is damaged from the previous battles, or possibly summoning Volt._

_

* * *

_

4 hours into James' Cure Training:

_AAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH! His motions and focus are just fine, about as good as my Cure motions and focus, and his core is perfect. He is still able to cast his other magic, but whenever he tries to cast cure… he's expending the magic, but nothing's happening! He even tried it to heal a burn I got from accidentally being hit by his Fire spell, and still nothing. I'll have to do more research._

* * *

Donald sighed. 'Granted, I'm not at the Royal Library, so I don't have any books to pull information from, and I've exhausted everything I've memorized…'

"CURE!" James pointed his Keyblade into the air, focusing a great deal of magic into the spell, to no avail and to no visible effect. "Once more… CURE!" James grasped for his magical reserves… and found nothing. He collapsed, tired out from his training. "Donald… Donald, do we have any… any more Ethers?"

Donald looked up from his notes. "No, James, we're all out. Besides, depending too heavily on these potions over a long period of time can decay a person's body from the inside. I'm surprised you haven't—"

James puked.

"… That. Okay, bed for you." Donald picked up a radio. "Goofy, can you step away from the controls for a while? I need some help down here!"

"Hyuck, of course, Donald!" Donald shifted a little as the Gummi Ship came to a halt. He heard the echoes of Goofy climbing down the ladder to the larger parts of the ship. As he headed in their direction, Donald helped James move away from the vomit, and sighed.

"James… Sleep." As if by some magic (which it was), James obeyed, and was fast asleep.

Goofy walked into the kitchen, which Donald and James had rearranged to make a small training area.

"What's up, Donal… Gwarsh…"

"Stop staring and help me!" Together, Donald and Goofy picked James up and carried him out of the Kitchen and into the small bedrooms.

"What happened?"

"He pushed himself too hard. Now he's got a little case of Potion Overdose. He should be fine, if he rests for the next few days and we give him some real medicine..."

"So, why'd he push himself? He's pretty good at magic, right?"

"He's passable, but that Cure spell should have been a piece of cake…"

"Maybe…"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I did read about something in Master Yen Sid's books…"

"Eh? You're interested in magic?"

Goofy laughed. "Yeah, but I'm no good at it… At least, no good at any of the magic I've tried. But I still remembered some of what I read. From what Master Yen Sid wrote, magical cores are linked to our hearts, and they affect how our cores conduct magic…"

"Yeah, so different people cast the same magic spell differently…" Donald continued, then he jumped, a look of revelation on his face. "… and sometimes, people aren't able to cast certain spells! That's it!" He facepalmed. "The better the core conducts magical energy, the more kinds of spells a person can cast, and the opposite is true!"

"Then that means that James can't get the spell right…" Goofy said, scratching his chin.

"Because his core isn't compatible with that particular spell…" Donald trailed off. "That's too bad… Cure is a very useful spell… Well, at least we know one thing…"

"Eh?"

"He's got a pretty good potion tolerance. Not many are able to drink as many Ethers as he did within a timespan of four hours without losing consciousness…"

"How many did he drink?"

"… 27."

Goofy stared. "27? He can hold his potions down better than ol' Pete ever could!"

"Yep." Donald said proudly. "Now… get back to the cockpit. I'll take care of James…"

**

* * *

****(3rd**** Person POV. Party: Holly/Chewbacca, Mark, Caleb, Wilson, Dumbledore. Location: Equipment Shop, Traverse Town)**

* * *

"Cloud?"

"Yes."

"God damn… Why?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Yeah, but I can sure as hell make it Aerith's concern!"

"… They need him to open the Door in Dusk City for them."

"WHAT!?"

"Wow, Cid certainly has a foul mouth," Caleb whispered as Dumbledore spoke with Cid in his underground chamber. Actually, it was more like Cid was swearing at Dumbledore while he tried to explain their plight.

"He's world famous for swearing, apparently," Holly mentioned.

"Look, all I'm saying is that Sephiroth went in there a fine, respectable man, and came out a traitorous bastard of a monster. And Vincent never fucking came out at all. Do you want that shit to happen to these kids?" Cid asked.

"No, I do not, Cid. However, the only one that can prepare them, truly prepare them, for the battles they are headed for is Vincent, and we are sure that he is still there."

"… Fine. But if I find out that they've become crazy and are killing everyone, Gaia fucking help me, I'll stick this spear so far up yer ass—"

"You need not worry about that, Cid."

Several minutes later, Dumbledore climbed out of the room, and looked at Holly's group.

"Man," Wilson said. "Thanks for putting up with that…"

"It is nothing," Dumbledore replied. "Cid is installing your Navi-G as we speak."

"So, what's all this about us becoming crazy and murderous?" Caleb asked.

"He referring to Sephiroth, a soldier of Hollow Bastion, and one of those who entered through the Door. After he departed the land beyond the Door, he changed. His mind became as corrupt as the powers he obtained from that realm…"

"Well, that sounds like an ill omen for us."

"Do not worry. As long as you do as Vincent says, and draw no power from that realm unless he advises you to do so, your hearts and minds shall remain safe."

"So, how do you and Cid know each other, anyway?"

Dumbledore laughed. "I was headmaster of a small school in Hollow Bastion. Cid was kind enough to escort some students from that place when it was attacked by the Heartless…"

"So, your students are here, too?" Holly asked, an unseen light in her eyes. 'Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Potter…'

"Yes, actually. In fact, they're actually quite prominent. Certainly you've heard of Leon and his band? They protect the townsfolk from the Heartless nowadays." Dumbledore laughed. "I must say, it's quite amazing when you look at it with my point of view… Their parents would be proud."

Holly visibly hung her head, her expectations shot down.

"Okay, you kids, yer Navi-G is installed, but…"

"But?" Mark asked.

"But it's odd. There's code in the Gummi that I can't dechipher… Where'd you get that thing, anyway?" The group looked at each other.

"A relatively reliable source," Caleb stated, almost lying through his teeth.

"Alright, but if that code causes your ship to shut down in the middle of Interspace, don't come crying to me!"

"Well…" Holly muttered after a silence. "It's the only lead we've got, so we'll just have to check it out!" 'Besides, I gave up my brother for this, I'm not going to let be for nothing!' The rest of the kids had similar thoughts, and they left to prepare and get on their way. Dumbledore looked at Cid.

"So, how's that other thing I asked about?"

"The book?"

"The book."

"Actually, I've got it right here! It's as good as new!" Cid pulled the book out, but Dumbledore made a motion that he didn't want it.

"Keep it, for now. I'd like an excuse to speak with this Keyblade Master everyone's talking about…"

**

* * *

**

(3rd Person POV. Party: Goofy, Donald, Jiminy Cricket. Location: Aboard the _Fenrir_)

* * *

"So, how is he?" Goofy asked.

"Still out of it. I'd say a few days of rest off the ship would do him well…" Donald replied.

"Good thing that Traverse Town's close by," Jiminy said.

"Yeah… Hey, isn't that the ship the we fought alongside outside Olympus?" Donald asked, looking at Traverse Town. Indeed, the ship was leaving port, and was heading off to parts unknown. "Huh… You don't think…?"

"That could be the King!?" Goofy shook his head. "Well, we'll never know until we both land on the same world at the same time…"

"Yeah, and we've got someone to take care of right now, so we can't just chase it and risk being in the middle of nowhere with a potion-overdosed kid."

So, left to wonder about the mysterious ship, Donald and Goofy landed at Traverse Town.

* * *

**(Party Change: James. Location: Traverse Town)**

* * *

"Ugh…" James woke up in a familiar location: the same hotel room that Leon and Yuffie had brought him to when they first met. "What happened?"

"You drank one too many Ethers, and you got Potion-Overdose," Leon growled. "You've been out for a few days now."

"So what, am I some kind of junkie now?" James grumbled.

"Nah. Potions don't have any addictive ingredients, so now that you know that there's a limit, you'll try to stay below that limit. Right?" Yuffie scowled in question.

"Definitely."

"Good. I really don't want to have to take care of you again. Though it was kinda fun when I had to change your clothes…"

"You mean…" James jumped away from Yuffie with a shocked and disturbed look coupled with a bright shade of red on his face (and running down his nose) as he came to his conclusion. "GAH!"

"I was just kidding!" Yuffie laughed. James sighed, discreetly wiping his nose as he did so. "Actually, Aerith was the one who took care of you while Donald and Goofy were handling business around town."

James looked like he was going to freak out again, but then gave her a pointed look. "Oh, I see what you were doing there. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! Hmph!" James walked out of the room. Yuffie glanced at Leon in an odd way.

"He does know I wasn't joking about that last one, right?"

Leon shrugged, then followed James.

"Hey, wait for me!"

* * *

"So, where are Donald and Goofy, anyways?" James asked.

"They're in the First District, doing some odd jobs to get munny for supplies. They already paid for the new clothes you've got," Leon replied. James, indeed, was now wearing a simple white tank top with light brown jeans. "Now, they're trying to restore their stock of Ethers that you demolished."

"Yeah…" James laughed nervously. "I can there on my own. Thanks, guys."

"You sure you're healthy enough to get there on your own? We don't want you collapsing." James raised an eyebrow at Leon's insinuation.

"I'll be fine, Leon. There's nothing to worry about," James gave a thumbs up and walked out of the Hotel.

* * *

A few minutes saw James at the First District, searching for Donald and Goofy. He eventually found them walking out of the Item Shop, carrying a few shopping bags each.

"James! You feeling alright?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah," James smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I gave you guys a bit of a scare, huh?"

"More like a heart attack!" Donald squawked. "But it's good to see you're okay. We were just heading to the Equipment Shop to scope out new armor. Want to come?"

"Sure," James replied. "So, we get those Gummi Blocks checked out?"

"Yeah," Goofy said. "Cid happens to be a Gummi expert. He said they're used for calculating and storing routes for Gummi Ship travel."

"Huh… So, if we attach it to the ship, we can travel to more worlds?"

"That's right," Donald said. "Best part is, Cid already got them installed. We only have one more order of business here."

"Hmmm?"

"Those Keyhole things we saw in other worlds. Turns out they're connected to the heart of their worlds, and that the Heartless use them to destroy worlds." Donald grinned. "However, if we find them, we can seal them off, so the Heartless can't do anymore harm to those worlds."

"Huh…" James made a gesture of absorbing new information. "So, seal these Keyholes, and we can stop the Heartless!"

"That's right!" Goofy laughed. "However, we've held off on the search for this world, since only the Keyblade can seal the Keyhole."

"Sorta makes sense…" James grinned. "Well, let's get the new armor and be on our way." Together, the three walked into the shop.

* * *

**(Party Change: James, Donald, Goofy. Location: Traverse Town, Equipment Shop)**

* * *

"What can I- Ah, James, you're awake! Good to see you… You know, my Jacket has a bunch of new holes in it…" Cid closed in on James.

James grinned as he backed away a step. "Yeah, heh…"

"Eh, no problem. Rarely wear it nowadays anyway. However… I would like you to pay me back for it."

"Um…" James didn't have time to protest as Cid gave him a package.

"I want you to deliver that package to an old friend of mine. He lives near the Third District, through the door that has a fire symbol on it. And no Dilly-Dallying…"

"Heh… Sure." James wiped the sweat from his brow. 'One bullet dodged.' "But first-"

"No buts! NOW!" Cid's voice crackled like thunder, and James had no complaints after that. He, Donald, and Goofy ran outside.

"Guess I'm not getting squat until this book is delivered…" James chuckled. "Ah well. Nothing for it, then." He looked at his friends, and they walked off to the Third District. After a little bit of 'searching,' James found the door to Merlin's Lake. Seeing the burn marks, James used a Fire Spell and opened the door.

As he walked inside, he saw the lake and the house on the island floating in the middle. He also noticed, much to his bewilderment, a small crater on the walls, as well as small bloodstains that couldn't have been more than a week old.

"Weird," he muttered to himself. He jumped atop one of the floating rocks and made his way across to the island, Goofy and Donald in tow. James walked up to the house knocking on the doorway as he entered. "Anyone home?"

"Why, yes, who may I ask is… Ah!" James bit back a gasp at the man who wasn't Merlin.

"Excuse me… Are you the one who asked Cid to fix something?" James asked, only for the man to seemingly size him up.

"I had heard rumors, but… I never would have guessed that the fates would choose someone like you to be our next Keyblade Master."

"What's that supposed to mean?" James glared. The old man smiled.

"Ah, but that isn't why you're here, is it, James? Have a seat." James looked at the man quizzicaly. The man gestured him over, and James reluctantly walked over, carefully sitting at the chair offered him. Goofy and Donald stood on either side of him, both ready to jump to combat at a moment's notice. It seemed to James that they had the same bad vibe James did.

"…Okay, who are you, and how'd you know my name?" Instead of answering, the old man pulled out three yellow candies.

"Lemon Drop?" He asked, and though James took one, he eyed it warily, pocketing it instead of eating it. "As for your question, I am Albus Dumbledore, ex-headmaster of Hogwarts Akademy for Gifted Persons. You don't have to introduce yourselves, James, Donald, Goofy. I know everything about you, even the things…" Dumbledore's eyes pierced James', "you don't want me to know, or those things locked out of your sight."

James tensed. 'He's like the Cheshire Cat, then? He knows about my replacing Sora in the timeline? Could he… help?'

"_I'm not sure whether to trust him or not…"_ Volt growled. _"He's got an odd scent, and from what your memories say, he's very manipulative…"_

"So, I hear that you had some trouble with a certain spell, James?" Dumbledore asked.

"How'd you know? The only ones we told about that were…" Donald trailed off.

"My students, who told me about it. Aerith was asking if I knew any way to cure you… Unfortunately, there is no spell in my arsenal that will heal such wounds."

"So, Aerith is your student?" James asked.

"Indeed. In fact, her companions, Leon and Yuffie, were students of mine. I'm sure you've met them."

"So… were you the one who told them all about the Keyblade, then?"

"I had learned it from parts of the report that Hollow Bastion's late leader, Ansem, wrote."

"That makes sense…" James said. "So, about that spell… Why can't I get it right?"

"Unfortunately, your heart's magical core isn't compatible with the Cure spell. However, I can see a full list of spells you can wield. Your core seems to have focused more on offense than defense…" Dumbledore pulled a wand out. "Let me give you a gift…" He waved the wand, and James felt an odd sensation. "I've now awakened within you the capacity to use a spell called Magnet. You focus your magic in a way to attract or repel everything around you. I also believe that this is in order…" Dumbledore produced a small red sphere, which had an odd starburst crystal within. "Do you know what this is?"

"A summon…" James replied, taking the gem. Upon touching his hands, the sphere vanished, and he heard a small racket from within his heart.

_"SHIT! James, what the hell? I was just getting used to having so much space! Now I've got to share with this bastard! Double shit!"_

"Use it well." Dumbledore smiled, a telltale twinkle in his eyes. "Now, I've kept you long enough already. I'll just take that package you have, and let you go." James nodded, handing over the book.

"Just what is that, anyway?"

"An old possession I am going to return to an old friend of mine…" Dumbledore replied. "I daresay he misses it, but with it so damaged, I had to make sure it was good as new first…"

"Just curious…" James said, mind racing. 'Could it be… Is that Pooh's Book?' However, knowing not to ask in front of Donald and Goofy, James simply smiled and walked out the door. Dumbledore waited a while, then addressed a small empty space in his house.

"How long have you been there?"

_"Long enough."_

"I was speaking the truth back there. And as much as you miss this, I know it misses you even more." Dumbledore watched as a hand reached out and took the package from Dumbledore's hands. "Are you angry?"

_"You gave him another summon. You aided his family… You're ruining everything I'm working for…"_

"What you're doing will not solve your problems."

_"… You're right. None of what I'm doing will solve it. However, I do not have the strength to fix everything directly. I've no choice but to bide my time, and interfere with him as much as I am able for now…"_

"What will you do after this plan of yours is finished?"

"_I will live, as is my right!"_ A pair of weapons crashed into Dumbledore, pinning him into the wall. _"… I will let you live this time, old man, because you gave me this…"_

"And if I interfere again?"

"_I will do what must be done."_ The weapons moved away from Dumbledore, and vanished, along with their wielder. Dumbledore sighed, and went to work fixing the damage done by his guest.

"My foolish friend… You don't realize that what you plan will not heal your pains… Death is not the answer."

* * *

James glanced about, only a mere instinct away from calling the Keyblade. He knew the Heartless were near, along with Riku and Maleficent.

'First thing I need to do is take her down. No mercy… I'll explain myself later if Goofy and Donald have problems about it.'

"_You fucking nuts!?"_ Volt protested.

'There's nothing for it!'

_"Well, if you do that, who's to say that Xehanort won't just take control of Riku by force and kill you guys on the spot!? You're not all powerful, dumb shit!"_

'This is my only chance to stop Riku from going to the Darkness!'

_"Yeah, well, you can do that without taking her down!"_

'You got a better idea!?'

_"Yeah, keep your eyes on Riku! Sora lost focus on him, and next thing he knew, Riku was gone! POOF!"_

James was about to respond by calling that idea stupid, but then he heard something that was obviously NOT a bunch of Shadow Heartless popping into appearance. Instead, there was a great shuddering of the earth. A large pool of darkness appeared in the center of the district, and a single black arm reached out, grasping a wall. Another hand emerged, clutching the roof of the abandoned house Leon and the others used as a base.

"Well, that's not normal," James muttered, eyes wide as he took a step away from the pool.

The arms pulled, and the all-too-familiar form of Darkside rose.

"You again? This is, what, the third time I've had to deal with you?" James asked rhetorically.

"You know this thing?" Donald asked.

"Unfortunately… I saw him in my dreams and on my island right before it got taken."

"Then we don't have much time…" Donald growled.

"What's the weak point?" Goofy queried, readying his shield.

"Aim for the head and the hands," James replied, summoning the Keyblade. 'However, that pool of darkness is a new trick, and I don't think it's something to mess with…' "Careful of the darkness…" James muttered in warning.

"How do we get to the head and hands without touching the pool of darkness?" Donald asked. James gave him an incredulous look.

"Well, are you a mage or what?" James asked, deciding to try his new spell. "Magnet!" Instead of the bright yellow orb of energy James was used to, a flash of blue light occurred at the tip of the Keyblade. James looked flabbergasted, and glanced at Donald. "What the heck was that suppo-" James received his answer when he was hit in the head with several trashcans that had been pulled to the pulse then succumbed to gravity. "Owwwwwww…" James rubbed his head. "A little more info on how the spell works would have been nice, Dumbledore…" James grumbled. "Okay, let's try this again… Magnet!" He said, pointing the Keyblade forward.

James was rewarded for his persistence by the trashcans heading to the tip of his Keyblade.

"Hmm… Dumbledore said that you could attract or repel objects with this… Maybe…" James pointed his Keyblade at the pile of trashcans. "Repel?" This time, a red light pulsed from the Keyblade, and the cans launched away from the pulse, a few slamming hard into Darkside. "Okay, that's pretty useful…" James stated. "Now, for a real test! Goofy!"

"Yeah?" Goofy was using his shield to block the punches coming from the Heartless boss.

"Get in front of me!"

"Huh?"

"Just do it!" Goofy obliged, and James pointed the Keyblade at the ground behind Goofy. "Repel!" As the light flashed red, Goofy found himself flying straight at Darkside's face. Goofy took the chance, putting his shield in front of him to use as a battering ram. Upon impact, Goofy kept flying forward, landing clear on the other side of the battlefield, and Darkside reeled from the blow, collapsing to its knees. James ran, towards the fallen Heartless, screaming, "NOW!" as he unleashed his Dragoon Dive, vanishing and reappearing above Darkside's head. He dived four times, increasing the intensity of his attack with every move. "DRAGOON DIVE!" James crashed into the Heartless' face, piercing it completely.

Darkside roared silently, writhing as it sank into the pool of Darkness. However, to James' surprise, it had just enough strength to grab him, dragging the boy down to the darkness with it…

Holly's Journal Entries:

Si and Am (Lady and The Tramp, 1955): Two Siamese Cats that attacked the 101 Dalmations while I was babysitting them. We later found them tormenting the last of the Pups at Dumbledore's House, having been turned into Heartless.

Roger (101 Dalmations, 1961): One of the owners of the 101 Dalmations. He is a songwriter, and one of his most infamous works, "Cruella De Vil," is currently a smash hit in Traverse Town.

Anita (101 Dalmations, 1961): One of the owners of the 101 Dalmations. While she and her husband were on a date, I was employed to take care of their pups.

Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter, 1997): The Headmaster of a small school in Hollow Bastion, which Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith once attended. He's a manipulative old cod, and I can't shake the feeling he's hiding something we'd really like to know…

* * *

Jiminy's Journal Entries:

Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter, 1997): The Ex-Headmaster of the Hogwarts Akademy for Gifted Persons, which Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith have attended. He seemingly "knows the things you don't know about yourself, or don't want others to know," or some such. He gave James the spell, Magnet, and a new summon.

* * *

"Ugh… So… absurdly… long… doubled… the size… of this fic's biggest… chapter…"

Shadow: "Yeah. Well, that's what happens when you go telling people you're going to do something, then remember things you need to do that extend the page count between last chapter's end and what you said you'd do next then try to fulfil your promise anyway."

"Gah… Anyway, I'll get to the Summon and Riku's appearance next time. Also, next chapter should have Holly's group visit the first world that I have no plans to have James visit. What is it? Well… I could tell you, but nah."

* * *


	14. DiscontinueReboot Notice

Oh No, Not another One! (Announcement)

By James the Fox

Hello again. Remember when I'd let you know if I intended to discontinue any stories, and explained how it would have ended? I've already done this for Gathering of Worlds, and I keep not having the time or memory to do so for the other stories I've deadfic-ified. So now, we have some info over Oh No, Not Another One. I was actually surprised, seeing that when I was working on it, it actually had enough of a fanbase that it ended up being relatively high up there on the polls for stories I was going to continue working on.

This is why I'm announcing that this fic isn't QUITE dead… Just being HEAVILY revamped before being revived with a mix of technology and pagan rituals I can't describe here without being assassainated. For whatever popularity it had at the time when I was making it, I stopped working on it when I saw just how… well, stupid it was going to end up, sorta like Gathering of Worlds. However, where I had couldn't see Gathering working because of how far it had gone already, and how railroaded it was because of that, I CAN see this plot working better, without me putting in too much more work rewriting the story, mostly because I wasn't very far in the story.

Even as we speak, I'm alternating between writing this, writing the new Chapter of XIII Ninja, and Pre-Production for XIII Ninja, PKMN Wizard, and for a reboot of "Oh No Not Another One (My Obligatory Self-Insert)." For that reason, I won't let slip much about the story details. Suffice it to say James gets out of the mess he's in, kicks butt, maybe gets thrown for a loop or two, finds a way around Namine's powers, beats Organization XIII, and has an epic clash with Sephiroth.

Also, I bring you an amusing fact:

The reason I self-inserted James into Sora's place(and will do so in the reboot) is related mainly to the meaning of his name. Going back to his name's original form, Jacob, the name means "Holder of the Heel,""Usurper," or "Supplanter." One of the major conflicts in-story is that James has (by divine will) usurped Sora's role in destiny.

In the original Sora (yes, you were right, that was him) wanted (if not to get his life back, that looked to be impossible for him) to obtain justice/revenge, at almost any cost. We'd have had multiple encounters with him throughout both the KH arc and the KH 2 Arc. I'm still uncertain if that plotline can be integrated into the new story, but we'll see. I really want it, as it makes a serious morality challenge for both sides: James for stealing Sora's life, his dreams, and his friends and family for his own, and Sora for being willing to see the multiverse end up reset by Destiny AGAIN by killing the new chosen one. It deconstructs these kinds of fanfics.

As a fun way to get everyone ready for the reboot, I'm going to explain some of the changes I'm going to implement into the stuff you've seen. Ahem:

First, the Deconstruction/Reconstruction of various KH and self-insert Elements via fridge logic. You'll find that some stuff that might bug you in the original games are thrown to the wayside with a very simple, effective reason: The games aren't the real world. Stuff like a 14-year old being better than someone with more combat experience doesn't fly here, like it did with Sora vs. Leon.

I'm also implementing all of the games for this reboot. Sephiroth isn't going to be the ender of the world like in canon. Square Enix's established this already: being the ultimate villain responsible for everything is Xehanort's job. We will see Sephiroth as well, but he's just a satellite character here.

Expect huge differences in how Donald and Goofy are treated in this story from in the games by implementation of one piece of logic: Donald and Goofy are Court Mage and Captain of the Royal Guard, respectively. They are the guys Mickey, Keyblade wielding Yoda expy of KH, has entrusted to protect himself and his Queen (a mage throwing around balls of holy magic, impenetrable barriers, and PILLARS OF DIVINE DEATH), and to fight in their stead where they cannot. The requirements for being THEIR backup should be skill, sheer badassery, and balls of orichalcum, and thus, aside from Game balancing, those two have no reason to be around Sora's level of skill at the beginning of KH1, and they certainly shouldn't be as incompetent as they are portrayed.

This won't mean we won't see them being, well, Donald Duck and Goofy, just means that when the chips are down, they're able to kick butt.

As for James, one of the things I liked about ONNaO was that sometimes, when he uses his foreknowledge, it bites him in the ass (Or nearly kills him with an Omnislash). This trend of him assuming something (a real weakness of mine) and ending up on the end of someone's sword will continue in the reboot.

One of the fun things I'm doing with his character for the reboot is not so much where I'm putting him, but when I'm taking him from: in terms of the real world, James starts his journey here before KH2: FM+ was revealed to the public, which leaves him with a fun weakness to exploit: He may have foreknowledge, but he doesn't know some of the most important stuff for the long run. 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep have important pieces of the puzzle James needs to put together, and he has no way of knowing until it's too late for him to do anything about it. This also means he'll be making visits to worlds and meeting people from shows and games he's never experienced, so he's getting screwed over on several levels.

The Holly Party Subplot is still here, but in order to allow for more character development, I've reduced the party to just Holly, Mark, and Chewbacca. This also helps with something I have set up.

In World Building, I've developed the way Levels, Weapons, Magic, and Abilities work, which uses elements from various KH games to make a consistent system. The Journal at the end of every chapter will, in addition to its usual function of character info, serve the purpose of giving info about the various rules of magic, etc. to the readers.

I'm quite excited for when it's all set, and look forward to showing off. Course, that's assuming anyone here isn't sick of Self Inserts and/or my ridiculous space between updates.

XIII Ninja's on the way! Here's a preview of the next chapter as a teaser.

* * *

Hinata bid her fellow Chūnin farewell and walked out of the office, opening her scroll. Yuki Fujikaze, one of the finest actors in Fire Nation, was to start filming a sequel to _The Tales of Fūun-hime _in the Land of Snow, and was in need of bodyguards. She and her team were to fulfill this request.

Hinata was amazed by the scroll's contents, having never seen a mission scroll before (Riku-sensei had always been captain, and thus he was in charge of such things). In addition to the standard information Hinata had just read, there were notes detailing all of the possible threats she and her team may face, according to all intel gathered. Hinata skimmed through the scroll until she found the list of shinobi on the team.

_Captain: Hyuuga Hinata. _

_Rank: Chūnin._

_Missions: 28 D, 1 C, 0 B, 2 A, 0 S._

_Notes From Previous Captains: Cunning when pushed, but lacks confidence. Proficient in Gentle Fist Style Taijutsu, has a close-to-mid-range chakra-compatible piercing weapon. Rudimentary knowledge of elemental Jutsu, medical techniques, and seduction skills._

She reflected on that first word: Captain. A year ago, she'd never have thought she'd ever be listed as Captain… What if she failed here? She'd never be able to look anyone in the eye if this first mission was a complete failure… They'd probably push her back to Genin rank… She gulped, then moved down the list.

_Hyuuga Neji._

_Rank: Genin._

_Missions: 26 D, 17 C, 1 B, 4 A, 0 S._

_Notes From Previous Captains: Precise and cool-headed in the heat of battle, but lacks passion. Masterful Gentle Fist Techniques, close-range focus. Not as skilled in long range. Tendency to belittle opponents._

_Inuzuka Kiba (Plus Akamaru)_

_Rank: Genin._

_Missions: 21 D, 5 C, 3 B, 1 A, 0 S._

_Notes From Previous Captains: Hotheaded and competitive, but loyal. Skilled almost exclusively in Beast Mimicry. Highly capable with cooperation with other teammates. Usually carries ration pills._

_Twem Mid_

_Rank: Genin._

_Missions: 11 D, 2 C, 1 B, 1 A, 0 S._

_Notes From Previous Captains: Mellow and unassertive, good at following orders. Low skill in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu. Specialized mainly in use of tools. Smart enough to devise basic stratagems, but unlikely to be useful on the battlefield if weapons break. _

As she headed to the Inuzuka Clan Compound (the closest to the Hokage's office), she resolved to spend at least some of the time on the way ascertaining the skills of her team, just in case the details on the scroll were outdated…

* * *

Shikamaru sauntered into the Twem Clan base, sighing. Not only was Twem Llednar NOT part of the team he knew inside and out– meaning he'd have to relearn his team's strengths and weakness AND build new strategies around them — but from what he knew of the head of the clan from personal experience and the mission scroll, he was the same type of genius Sasuke and Neji were: prone to arrogance and fighting solo, meaning that he might not take orders so well.

Which meant that he could expect things to be troublesome from start to finish. He wondered (not for the first time) why he accepted the promotion to Chūnin before calling out to a nearby Twem Clan member and asking them to have Llednar come to the north gate prepared for a long-term mission.

At least Choji was also on his list of shinobi on the mission. He could trust Choji.

* * *

Note that this isn't from the final product, and I purposely left out a few paragraphs. This is a preview after all. Let me know what you think. Until next time!


End file.
